


The Huntress

by Mizu7



Category: Overwatch (Video Game)
Genre: Angela the Antagonist, Angst and Fluff and Smut, Blood, Blood Drinking, Blood Play, Body Horror, Emotional Manipulation, Emotional/Psychological Abuse, F/F, Frankenstein body horror, Gaslighting, Halloween Event Au, Human/Vampire Relationship, I REPEAT THIS IS NOT PHARAMERCY, Monster Hunters, More tags to be added as we go, NOT PHARAMERCY, Possessed! Pharah, Witchcraft, lots of blood, mentions of witch trials
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-11-28
Updated: 2019-01-24
Packaged: 2019-02-08 02:50:28
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 25
Words: 92,905
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12855144
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Mizu7/pseuds/Mizu7
Summary: Countess Amelie Lacroix, it was said she felt no warmth, no cold, no joy and no sorrow but above else, a Huntress unmatched. Upon hearing of her incredible skills, a not so common thief seeks her out for aid. The Witch of the Wilds placed a curse upon the girl and it won't be long before it kills her. With similar goals, the two ride into the night in search for the greatest game of all.All the while a terrible darkness looms in the shadows of Adlersbrunn, where a hysterical madman seeks to play God in the name of science but little does he notice the strings attached to him. The Witch plans on having fun with her new little puppet.





	1. Our Story Begins...

**Author's Note:**

> Here we are kiddos! A brand new multichapter adventure! I've been thinking about this since Halloween and while I know I'm pretty late to the party, trust me it's gonna be a doozy. Something to keep you busy during the holiday season. 
> 
> Tags and characters will be added as we go. 
> 
> Thank you guys for everything and now please enjoy my latest creation!

“Please work please work please work please work please please please please-”

 

Each word grew in urgency and pitch, but despite the panic in his voice, his hands were incredibly steady. The man carefully poured a small vial of purple liquid into a large beaker of green, watching carefully as the color swirled aimlessly but did not mix. He had every intention of keeping it that way, but if he were to add too much it would ruin a week's worth of research.  

“Please work please work - I mean _of course_ it will work - but just in case I just happen to be wrong, which I’m not, please work-”

 

“JUNKENSTEIN.”

 

A deep booming voice bellowed as the door burst open, slamming against the wall and sending an echoing thundercrack resonating through the stone chamber.

The scientist shrieked, his body so tense with anticipation and stress that he sprung up in a panic like a tightly wound toy. The glass vials slipped from his fingers and shattered against the floor as he  spun around, his back pressed up against the table, several other beakers and bottles joining the mess on the floor as they fell off the unstable table and shattered on the ground. Unidentifiable liquids spilling over along the floor, bleeding into fallen papers covered in scribbles of numbers and letters that would mean nothing to the common man.

It took Junkenstein a moment to realize the consequences of his grave mistake, as he looked down in complete and utter horror at the mess around his feet.

“NO! NO NO NO NO HOW DARE YO-”

Junkenstein’s cries of rage were quickly silenced upon realizing who was visiting him unexpectedly. His jaw slacked opened stupidly as the tall man who had addressed him quietly surveyed the scene with narrowed eyes.

Glass shards and strange multi colored fluids spilled over hundreds of papers littered the ground all around the lab, not just from the newest accident but _everywhere_ , strange metal equipment hummed with electricity, diagrams of various human anatomy were pinned on cork boards haphazardly arranged along the walls or drawn out on chalk boards with old castor wheels, and a not-so-suspicious dirty sheet that was _probably_ white at some point was covering what one could only guess were a few barrels stained with old blood.

Though it was the undeniable stretch of death that confirmed his suspicions, the mysterious man’s brows set into a deep scowl and aimed it straight at the scientist.

“My Lord! So good to...see you….my deepest apologies, if I knew you would be coming I would have cleaned up the place! Maybe some more flowers, mirrors to open up the room a bit more and-”

“What is God’s name are you doing!?” he roared.

The Lord of Adlersbrunn took quick strides down the stairs, stomping over to the small man who seemed to shrink the closer he got.

“I understand this may look awful but I can assure you it is science!” he offered a weak laugh with his hands up in defense, bright green gloves stained with red.

“When I asked for you to come to this village, I did so with the intention of saving my people”

“And I did! Amazing what could be done if you just wash your hands yeah?” he laughed, but was quickly silenced as the Lord reached out and grabbed the lapel of his coat, pulling him up and closer.

The Lord Wilhelm was a literal monster of a man. Standing heads above most, the walls of his castle were covered in his many trophies of wars and beasts alike, and yet through years of experience he now chose to rule his hand with a gentle hand. _However,_ those facing his wrath weren’t heard from again. The doctor gulped nervously.

“I have tried my best to keep quiet about your activities, you have done a great service to my village but now people complain about terrible sounds, a wretched smell and now grave robbing?!”

“My Lord please, I am still doing this for your people! I am still going to save them! All of us!”

“From what?!”

His smile split into a madman’s grin that brought the Lord’s gut twist with unease.

“Why, Death, of course!”

Taking the Lord’s moment of stunned silence, the small doctor wiggled out of his grasp to run around his table. An uncontrollable giggle escaping his lips as he reached a board, and pointed to the papers pinned to it with excitement.

“I am on the verge of a breakthrough, to make us unkillable!” he laughed, gleeful at the very idea and it made the Lord’s stomach twist in horror.

“I can create life! With science! Well not quite yet but! I know I can do it, I’m so close! Then what is stopping us from the next step? We will no longer fear death and live like go-”

“No.”

The doctor froze in place, his words cut off with a firm and final rejection.

He blinked, the very idea of being rejected - _denied!_ \- from his brilliance incomprehensible to him.

The Lord sighed, grasping the bridge of his nose as a migraine began to creep up along his skull. Perhaps he would have better luck finding a new village doctor the third time around.

“You have overstayed your welcome. But I am a man of mercy, I shall give you one week to either stop what you’re doing or leave. However, be warned! If you choose to do nothing I will turn a blind eye to what the people will make of you. That is final word and warning.”

With that, he turned on his heel, crunching the broken glass under his boot as he went and began to walk away.

Junkenstein shook his head, offering a weak chuckle as if it were all just an elaborate joke but the Lord was not turning around, the Lord was refusing his brilliance, and at this, he shifted. His grin slipped downward as did his brows, contorting into a terrible snarl as he screamed.

“Coward!”

The Lord stopped in mid step just before reaching the stairs.

“I could make you immortal!”  

“Perhaps a decade ago I would have agreed…” he laughed softly, though it was an empty laugh as he turned to face the doctor, his eyes darkened as he spoke in a hushed tone of warning.

”You are playing with powers far beyond your control, especially out here. We do not need unwanted attention from the eyes in the shadows.”

“But-”

“One week Jamison!” he said one last time before slamming the door behind him.

A thick hush fell over the lab, he was alone, save for his science and hum of machinery. In theory, he could very logically just leave and continue his pursuits elsewhere - but his lab given to him by the Lord at the request of helping the people was perfect. He was onto something, he was close to a breakthrough that could change the world as they knew it, he couldn’t just pack up and leave and lose momentum now.

“Seven days?” a voice commented quietly, jolting him out of his thoughts,“That’s hardly enough time to do much is it?”

He shrieked and spun around, his eyes frantically searching for the source of the mysterious voice, no one else had entered, it would be impossible for anyone else to just sneak in. Today was clearly not a good day for his nerves.

“Who….who are you?!” he demanded, lashing out in panic but once again he fell quiet as he realized the voice was coming from above his head.

He gulped, slowly lifting his chin to look up.   

“The eyes in the Shadow.”

He was greeted with a smile laced with poison.

Floating several feet in the air from him was a blonde woman, clad in black and orange tattered robes, sitting casually atop what appeared to be an elaborate broom with gold and silver trimmings. Her blue eyes pierced straight through him as she scanned him over.

“And I want to help you.”

The doctor immediately brought his arms up in front of him, crossing them to make a large ‘X’ across his chest.

“No, nope no no way, nada, zip!” he said and shook his head furiously.

At this she blinked back in surprise,”No?”

”I am here to create life from science! I want nothing to do with you and your black magic!” he huffed, his face scrunched up into a defiant pout like a child.

But the witch just laughed.

“I don’t think you understand my intention, Jamison,”

Her voice, though smooth as silk, was far from comforting. The broom she sat upon slowly lowered, causing Jamieson to bring his arms tighter to his chest and step back.

“I can bring anyone back to life,” she shrugged. She reached out with her left hand and pointed downward, where the barrels covered by stained sheets sat beneath her by a few feet.

The doctor watched in utter horror and fascination as she began to rotate her wrist, as if stirring a pot with her finger, and suddenly the barrels began to shift. The sheet lifted, rising and falling as something underneath were trying to reach out and escape.

“Bodies are nothing but playthings,” she smiled, watching with amusement as he slapped his hand against his own mouth to stop himself from gagging. The sloshing of liquids and heavy thumping against the old wooden barrel, movement beneath the sheet became violent, jerky and desperate. It didn’t take long for one to finally spill over, taking the sheet with it as blood and chunks of ice spilled onto the floor.

“...which I’m sure you are well aware of, you treat them as such,”

Severed hands and feet glowed with an ominous purple light, moving in unnatural and uncontrollable jerks on her command. Torsos with no limbs of heads, legs surgically removed at pelvis, and even a few heads. He rarely kept _those_ , they were all just pieces the good doctor decided were unworthy for his ultimate creation or just put aside for later use or experimentation.

Men, women, children, it didn’t matter. All for the greater good in the end.

The heads opened their sightless eyes, a void of purple light shining through them, as cracks grew along the edge like spiderwebs, their skin broken like porcelain dolls as they opened their mouths to moan or scream, but nothing came out.

These pieces just flailed about aimlessly, twitching horribly along the ground in their own blood and bits of flesh with no purpose or reason other than she willed it so.  

“I am but a humble puppet master, pulling strings...But you?” her hand froze, clenching into a tight fist.

“You seek to play God?”

She released her grip and the limbs under her command fell limp and lifeless as she found them to be. The purple light disappeared. Dead eyes with slacked jaws watched him accusingly.  

“To create something from nothing? Create a soul? _That_ is true black magic.”

He gulped, looking up at the witch in horror and honestly, a little impressed, “Why? Why help me?”

“The Great Lord Wilhelm of Adlersbrunn doesn’t understand you, no one will, but I do,” she winked playfully, resting her chin atop the very hand that commanded the dead.

“I will help you bring your creations to life in exchange for a favor.”

Ah. There it was.

He immediately snapped back into his pouting lips.

“Never! I can do this without your help!” he shrieked, his nose high in the air.

For a moment he thought she had left, the silence returned to his lab for a long moment before he realized she was just sitting there innocently in the air with her eyes still on him.

“A purist...I can respect that.” she shrugged, her voice dripping with amusement. She sat back on her broom up straight and offered him another poison coated smile.

“Should you ever change your mind however...” she paused, raising her hand straight up into the air, a gust of wind surrounded her like a small tornado, whipping wildly around and out into the lab, papers and objects shifting by the strength of such a sudden wind even Junkenstein brought his arms up to his face to attempt to shield his face from the items.

“I’ll be watching and waiting.”

As soon as it started, the wind was gone, and with it the witch.

The doctor slowly lowered his arms, bracing for the worst but found his lab completely spotless.

His barrel of severed limbs and heads were placed back into the barrel and sheet over to cover it, the liquids that had spilled all over the floor appeared to have been mopped, the papers he had tossed aside or dropped from the boards were neatly stacked on his desk, and even the glass beakers that he had broken from bumping into the table were back in place, and much to his utter relief the vials of purple and green liquid were in their respective beakers, untouched as if his mistake had never happened only a few moments ago.

His face split into a grin.

 

He had a lot of work to do.

 


	2. Grey

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Her world is black and white. She is anything but.

Grey. 

 

If Lena had to sum up this country into a singular word, it would be grey. 

From dawn to dusk, there would be only a faint outline of the sun through thick clouds - bright enough to cause pain to those who would look up but still cast the world with a gloomy sky. Perhaps that was why everyone who lived under it just existed with a mood that reflected the weather. Sluggish, quiet, perhaps even depressed; Just walking from place to place with blank, empty expressions, existing. 

But every once in a while, the clouds would break up just enough to let in just a bit of sunlight. 

And what a difference that made. 

“Fish! Fresh fish!”

“Got apples ‘ere!” 

“Eggs by the doz’n!” 

Vendors milled along the usually silent street were now shouting, waving their goods over their tables to attract attention to possible customers. 

Granted it was still cloudy with a few pockets of sunshine but still, it was a beautiful day in the small village outside of Adlersbrunn. 

Lena let out a long yawn, her fingers intertwined as she stretched them over her head. She had  lucked out this time, having sneaked into an unlocked stable and slept beside a young calf and it’s mother who didn’t seem to mind the random stranger. The smell would take some time to get rid of, but it definitely beat sleeping outside in the cold.

There was a river that she crossed on her way here she could probably jump into later, but first things first, breakfast. 

Lena walked down the street, nodding and smiling as she looked for a stall that interested her. Honestly, after being on the street for most of her life, she could do it with her eyes closed. A perfectly executed sleight of hand while the vendor was busy, tripping someone else to crash into the table and feigning kindness in helping put the items back while pocketing a couple for herself. Her large slacks were meant for a man much bigger than herself were tied to her waist with old rope, but the large pockets were well worth it. She strolled away with two apples and a small roll of bread, and no one suspected a thing.  

She had her teeth buried deep into a small apple as she passed by a man who had bent down to grab a fallen potato, his arms holding one too many things from a long day of shopping. The moment his belt was exposed, Lena whipped out a small dagger barely the length of her own hand and cut the small coin purse right off of him and continued on her merry way, opening the tattered pouch with one hand and counting her ill-gotten gains.    
  
A couple of gold pieces and a few coppers tumbled into her fingers, the money glinting in the rare sunlight. She hummed happily to herself, perhaps she could buy a treat for herself to commemorate the nice day. 

The sound of a hammer smacking wood grabbed her attention, as well as everyone else in the market. All stopped for a single moment to watch as the village crier nailed several notices on a large wooden noticeboard.

He finished his work, promptly ripping off an older notice before he went on his way. 

  
A confused hush fell over the crowd. 

“The bear is dead?” one woman asked as the man was about to pass by,”The request for hunters was put up just yesterday!” 

Lena paused mid-stride.

 

Oh.

 

_ That _ bear. 

 

A few miles west from here sat another quaint little village - at least it  _ was,  _ until it was being terrorized by a creature with bear like features that was nearly double the size and ferocity as one. Lena was there when it struck, on the other side of town, but she could hear the horrific roar and the screams that fell silent as it tore through stables.    
  
She had been quick to run at first light. 

“A Werebear as it were, and yes, that Lacroix woman took care of it.” 

The whispers began, soft expressions of awe and wonder spread across the market as the man left, leaving the people to their gossip. Lena herself had only heard just as much as anyone about the mysterious monster hunter, only whispers here and there. 

“I heard she killed a harpy on horseback with a crossbow!” one man said to another as Lena passed him two coppers for a sweetroll. 

“They say she lives in an abandoned estate in another country, she only leaves to hunt” someone else chimed in as Lena quietly dug into her treat. 

“Her horse is black as night with red eyes! I should know my cousin saw it himself ‘n told me!”

“No! It’s she who has the red eyes! Some say she is a monster herself!” 

Lena hummed to herself as she devoured her snack, taking long relaxed strides as she walked through the bustling market place, listening to anything and everything about the hot topic of the day. 

She found herself sitting on an empty barrel beside some men taking a break from the fields. She weaseled her way into the conversation with bright eyes, a big smile and an interest to listen, managing to grab a sip of their ale in the process. One of the perks of being a people person!  

“Anyone else hear about the sea serpent story? Bare hands!” 

The men let out a long groan, rolling their eyes and shaking their heads. It was clear that they found  _ that _ one hard to believe.

Lena laughed, it wasn’t the most ridiculous story she’d heard today although it was probably up there with arm wrestling a banshee,“She sounds expensive...how much you think the village paid to quiet that beast?” 

“They say she’s from money” a grizzled looking man shrugged, wiping a dribble of ale from his lips with the back of his hand before handing the bottle to Lena who took it immediately,”A Countess, she only takes whatever is offered, no more and no less.”

At this, Lena paused mid sip of the bottle. 

“You sayin’ she does it just for the thrill of it?” 

Her eyes narrowed dangerously. There was no way it could possibly be this easy.

“So...what...anybody could hire her to kill something? Anything?” 

The workers fell quiet for a moment, contemplating the possibilities here but there it was. 

“If it’s big enough I suppose? I don’t think there is anything she can’t kill.” 

The contemplative stillness was interrupted by the bottle falling from Lena’s lips right into her lap. Thankfully, her quick reflexes made it so she  caught it with her other hand before it dropped any further and luckily didn’t spill a drop, but the deed was done. 

An awkward silence hung in the air as the men stared at her for a moment, blinking hard. Were their eyes had played a trick on them? They could have sworn…

Lena quickly hid her right hand behind her back and hopped off the barrel, shoving the bottle of ale in the arms of the grizzly man as she offered them a smile. 

“Ah sweaty hands I uh...thanks for the drink mates! See you around!” 

Before they could ask she ran, her right arm hidden under her old vest until she found privacy behind a tree just far away enough to not be caught by anyone nosey enough. 

Lena leaned back against the trunk, desperate to catch her breath thought it wasn’t from running. She quietly looked up at the sky, a silent plea for mercy, or at least strength to prepare herself before she took a deep breath and pulled her right arm out of the security of her vest. 

Sure enough, her hand was gone. 

“No no no no….come on come on breathe Lena breathe…” she whimpered, closing her eyes as she forced herself into deep, although shaky at first, inhales and slow exhales. 

Her wrist was faded, she could barely make out a faint outline of it. More and more each day she was losing a piece of herself. Just a few days ago it was just her fingers, it was happening much faster every day and quite frankly she felt this was a valid reason for panic.

Yet the more she did, the worse it became. 

“Come on come on” she mumbled to herself, her eyes squeezed shut as she continued her breathing exercises.

It wasn’t working at first, she could feel it. The numbness in her fingers that crept past her wrist threatening to take her whole arm if she didn’t calm down. 

She threw her head back, letting out a low groan of frustration as she opened her eyes. 

“Ok….ok this is fine come on now...what’s to see...what’s to see…?” she mumbled to herself, her eyes searching the tree for answers.

The tree was rather small in comparison to its neighbors, but the fullest, beautiful orange and red leaves shaded her from the bright sky and was home to a small bird perched atop its branches. 

“Good...ok...good start” she sighed quietly, letting her eyes drop once again to focus on her surroundings. 

The bird began to chirp, singing a little song as a slow breeze pushed passed the valley causing the branches and leaves to brush up against each other creating a small hum of sound. Somewhere in the distance the market continued on, vendors screaming their sales as horse drawn carriages, old and rickety made a jumble of noise passing through the cobblestone street. 

Lena let out another long sigh, feeling the breeze brush through her bangs, the rough bark against her back and the hole in her shirt her fingers fumbled through as her grip finally relaxed. She should probably get that fixed, perhaps she could borrow a sewing needle from that woman around the corner. She seemed nice...

It was working. Her mind distracted enough to not notice the numbness or the return of feeling as she continue. She inhaled deeply through her nose, feeling the cold air hit her lungs, bringing a chill down her spine. She could still smell the sweet roll left on her lips, she couldn’t remember the last time she had a nice treat to herself. Honestly she should do it more often, life was short after all.

She licked her lips, finding residual ale and sweet frosting along her tongue. 

She had a a couple of gold pieces left, perhaps she could actually buy some for herself for once!

It took a few moments, to bring back the calm but eventually she felt relaxed enough to very slowly open one eye and inspect the damage. 

There it was, just as she was born with it was there like nothing had ever happened. 

She opened and closed her hand, touching her pants and face to insure it was functional. 

Lena let out a long sigh of relief, holding her hand to her chest. 

Her heart would be pounding right now, but as she held her hand between her breasts, she felt nothing. 

It was a constant reminder of the price she had paid, though she didn’t regret it at the time. But now, there was no doubt in her mind her current ghost-like fading was a result of her missing heart. 

She knew where it was. 

The witch had made it very clear she had no intention of hiding it, and had even given Lena directions on where it was if she so chose to retrieve it. Not that she had really needed them. Traveling from town to town, she had began to notice a faint beat in the back of her mind. 

Her heartbeat. 

At least that was the theory, her traveling now consisted of following the sound that seemed to echo in her void chest. 

Lena let out a long sigh, brushing her wild bangs out of her face to turn back towards the town. 

This Huntress could possibly help her retrieve her heart, and hopefully put an end to her fading out. In theory. 

However, even if she did enjoy the excitement as payment, it would be rude to not offer anything else.

 

With a huff and smile, Lena cracked her knuckles and stretched out her shoulder. It was going to be a long day, but her blade was sharp and she had pockets to fill. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you Nox for editing!


	3. Crossroads

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> If you want something, go get it.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Lord in heaven don't get used to these fast updates, this literally has never happened before and I'm riding this wave of inspiration while I have it.

“Thomas…”

The man a few steps ahead of her stopped in his tracks to let out a long sigh.

“Yes?”

“Could I ask one last time why we are doing this?” she asked, before muttering under her breath,”And please give me an answer other than ‘She told us to’.“

He turned around, holding up a lantern up to illuminate the woman’s annoyance, not that he could blame her considering the circumstances - but it was merely a mask to hide her fear. He knew the look well, he was just as afraid.

“My dear Nina, how many monsters and demons have you slain in your lifetime?”

She fell quiet but continued glaring expectantly at him.

“She has experience, and if she tells us to go into the heart of the woods, set some traps and bait in the middle of the night, then we are going to if it means we will finally be rid of a monster. Are we clear?”

She huffed, shifting her attention to the large bear trap in his grasp as he lifted it up.

“Fine...but then pray tell me where our glorious savior might be?” Nina scoffed, swiping the trap out of his hands and proceeded to set it nearby,”Making you, our village leader, do all the dirty work?”

“I insisted we join her, make sure the job is done.”

Nina laughed, reaching for her satchel and pulled out handfuls of fresh lamb meat still dripping with blood,“I assumed you were as untrusting as the rest of us.”

He lifted the large lantern over her as she carefully placed the bait inside the trap.

“I saw her eyes, of course I don’t trust her. But I will not lose another child to this monster.”

Soon the last trap was set, along with several others just like around the small clearing. A few other men were busy setting more not too far off; this was the area the beast was most commonly spotted in. Once the wind picked up, taking the smell of blood and death with it, it would draw the monster out.

“Where is she?” he muttered to himself, peering into the darkness but finding nothing but the hoot of owls and dim lights of other lanterns in the distance.

“All I’m saying is that _perhaps_ we should have paid extra for that McCree fellow and-”

A horrific shriek broke the stillness of the night like glass, followed by an earth shaking roar.

The spots of light fell to the ground as the men scrambled away, sprinting for their lives as the jaws of the traps snapped shut one by one but did nothing to slow the monster down.

Thomas lifted the edge of his cloak over his shoulder to grab his axe strapped to his belt as two men leapt out of the bushes and into the clearing with the monster close behind. Its heavy paws slammed into the ground with every lumbering step, shaking the ground. Both men awkwardly jumped over the remaining traps still set but the hulking beast just mowed them down, unbothered by the snapping teeth that sunk into its flesh.

Thomas ran forward, his patience run thin and anger overshadowing his fear as he waved his axe and lantern the moment his men ran passed him.

“AWAY WITH YOU!” he screamed, catching the beast’s attention as it slid to a halt before him.

Immediate regret sank in his stomach as the massive bear stood on it’s hind legs, towering over him in its full eight feet in height, the lantern illuminating the hideously scarred face, missing teeth and the horribly disproportionate enormous body.

Standing tall, the monster opened its maw, white foam dripping out of it’s lips and let out a terrible roar, the heat of his breath releasing thick white smoke into the cold air.

Nina backpedalled, tripping over a thick branch and falling on her bottom., She continued scrambling backwards in horror as the beast stared down at them with black soulless eyes. She scrabbled around on the forest floor for something, anything, that would help her defend herself

 

_CRRACK._

 

A thunderclap in the distance brought the monster to a stop, and Nina held her hand up to shield herself as liquid sprayed over her face.

For a moment she thought a sudden storm had caught them unsuspectingly, but as she slowly opened her eyes and looked past her hand she realized the monster stood absolutely still.

She blinked in confusion, slowly turning her hand around to find red dripping down her arm instead of the water that she expected.

Nina shrieked in surprise as Thomas reached down and grabbed her by the arm to pull her away just in time as the massive beast dropped face first into the ground where she once was moments ago.

A large hole sizzled in back of the bear’s head, hot steam leaving the wound in soft wafts of smoke like an extinguished candle.

Thomas knelt down in relief. It was finally over. The beast that had plagued his village for days, murdered countless livestock and villagers was gone in an instant.

Thomas tore his eyes away from the fallen bear and looked up into the trees.

Sure enough, the silhouette of a woman on a branch within a tree stood up, a smoking musket in her grasp.

The hired monster hunter jumped down from her perch, her movements as graceful as a cat, and casually made her way back into the clearing.

She appeared as sharp and put together as she was moments before they had split up, not a speck of dirt or wrinkle on her crisp black suit.

“You have the honors” she said, almost sounded bored, strapping her gun across her back.

Thomas gulped, taking a few deep breaths to calm his racing heart. He stepped forward, axe clenched tight in his grasp as he lifted it above his head and brought it down on the monster’s head. The lumberman’s axe glinted wickedly as it fell, and the head was severed in one fell swoop. It was finally over.

Or perhaps not quite.

The Huntress remained where she was, her eyes on the body, quietly waiting.

Before the villagers could ask, the bear began to shift violently, almost appearing alive as it writhed on the ground., Bones cracked and blood spilled out of it’s open neck, staining the ground below with red. as if being drained. Dirty fur melted away and limbs shortened before their eyes until the headless bear was replaced by a small human man.

Thomas suddenly felt sick, slowly his eyes trailing over to the head that had rolled away several feet beside it’s body. Sure enough, it was a thin pale man with overgrown and matted hair, unfortunately, recognizable.

“I know him...isn’t he the beggar? He went missing weeks ago.” one of them said quietly behind Thomas.

The Huntress shrugged, slipping a small dagger from her belt she bent down beside the head and clipped a small lock of hair.

Werecreatures reverted back to their human form when killed, they made awful trophies but it was better than nothing in her mind.

“You are incredibly foolish” she said, pocketing her prize and looking at Thomas.

Thomas watched her carefully as she approached him. Her eyes were unreadable, piercing golden eyes that stared him down.

“Brave, but foolish.”

“I…” he stopped himself, letting out long sigh and shook his head,”Thank you...this is yours…”

Removing a small pouch from his belt he held it out to her,”...I wish we had more to give you, but-”

His words were cut short as she took the pouch, barely the size of her fist, and walked away.

And that was that.

She whistled into the night, waiting patiently as a dark horse let out a loud snort, and made quick strides to meet its master.

Without another word, she tucked the gold away, mounted her steed and rode off into the night. The villagers would not see her again.

They stood in utter silence, so much had happened in so little time and then it was all over in a flash.

“Gold eyes, Thomas.” Nina hissed, finally regaining some composure as she furiously wiped her face and hand free of blood with her cloak,” Who the hell has golden eyes?”

“I don’t know and to be quite honest,” he huffed, nudging the headless body over with his foot, the bear traps that clung to its limbs clinking as it flopped pathetically on its back.

For the first time in weeks his village could rest easy.

“I could care less”

 

* * *

 

Amelie dismounted in a village not too far from her latest kill, this one was considerably larger which meant a better chance of finding a place to sit down and drink. Possibly find new jobs.

Not that she needed to.

The gold she received was only to cover the cost of keeping her loyal stallion fed and watered, he was more of a priority otherwise she didn’t care where she slept or drank.

Most kept their distance despite the seedy nature of the tavern. Honestly, she wished more fools would approach her. Throwing _imbéciles_ out a window was a nice way to end a beautiful evening such as this. Especially after a particularly boring kill - had the village leader and his people not joined in, she had plans to chase the beast into a corner, make her work for it, make the monster fight for it’s life in a proper hunt. Alas, he had insisted on seeing the job to be done with his own eyes instead.

She allowed it, though she might have purposely let the creature give chase. It was within her sights for a while, but she let it find the bait and the humans. That was at least entertaining.

The tavern was like any other, loud patrons yelling over each other under the influence of too much ale with some poor lute player just trying to make a few coins, playing away in the corner. With so many bodies and a warm fire, the small place was hot and stuffy, yet it was all oddly comforting.

She took to the furthest and darkest corner, ordering only their strongest whiskey and kept to herself, quietly watching and listening.

 

* * *

 

“She was here yesterday”

Lena nearly spit out her drink.

It was nightfall at the local tavern, Lena’s favorite time, no other time or place was it easier to make new friends while swiping their coins from right under their noses. No one could beat her at cards, not while she carried the winning hand in her sleeves.

She found the field workers there, and they welcomed her back into their celebration of a good day’s work well done drunkenly offering her their ale and a seat at their table. Once again their conversation picked up where they had left off, talking about the mysterious Huntress that took down a creature that murdered innocents and livestocks in less than a day.

And so the barmaid casually threw in this piece of information as she refilled empty mugs.  

“That...hunting woman we been talkin about all day?” one man narrowed his eyes up at her with suspicion.

She nodded profusely.

“Yes I swear it. Yellow eyes, only drank whiskey. She stayed the night but didn’t leave her room til just after sundown. You just missed her by a few hours”

Lena’s jaw fell slack. By some divine intervention, this was in fact going to be this easy.

She had spent the entire day swiping coin purses left and right and gambling in games she knew she could win to collect enough money to at least get the Huntress’ attention. Finding her was another problem she had every intention of dealing with when she got to that bridge, and there it was, right in front of her.

The barmaid had their undivided attention as they turned in their seats excitedly.

“What of her horse? Red eyes?!”

“Did she look like a monster herself?”

Lena jumped in quickly,“Where did she say she was going?”

The poor maid went blank for a moment at the onslaught of questions,“Uh well let’s see…” she started, tapping her chin in thought.

“The horse was the most beautiful blackest horse I’d ever laid eyes on...don’t recall the color of it’s eyes...as for she, rather pale that one, and she was rather kind, tipped me real nice like when she asked where the nearest town was. Sounded like she was heading further west.”

Lena’s face split into a grin, an opportunity had presented itself, and if it meant saving her own skin from the void then she was going to take it.

“Friends I have one last game in me” she announced, turning back in her seat before taking a long swig of her drink,”All or nothing. I have a date with destiny and it looks like I’m late.”

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you Nox for editing and Thomas, my newest patreon! Thank you!


	4. The Hunt Begins

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Differences aside their goals are the same, more or less.

Lena won, as she always did.

 

She reached out with her arm and scooped the entire pile of coins into a pouch, struggling to tie it shut as she ran out of the tavern before they realized they were cheated out of their hard earned money by the thief that they had unknowingly befriended.

With her winning smile and charm she managed to borrow a horse from a stable that had been closed for nearly an hour now with the promise of returning it. Her big eyes brimmed with fake tears the moment the man protested, to borrow such a strong steed would aid her in seeing to a terribly ill family member and their time was short. Her performance was well received, and she was even given a thick cloak to take for her journey. She sniffed, wiping a tear away and profusely thanking the man before galloping out of town with a wide grin on her face.

To be fair it wasn’t a complete lie, the situation _was_ a bit of an emergency.

It took a couple of hours running at a full gallop to make up for lost time, though the horse didn’t take too kindly to it and she was forced to slow down and be patient. Not that it was her strongest quality but she managed to use the slower pace to practice her speech. That was an odd experience in itself, she naturally spoke to others and won them over easily. Usually, just by looking at a person, she knew exactly what to say and how to say it.

But this person was, something else entirely. A local legend who most chose to avoid, or could barely get a word or two out of her before understanding who she really was.

“I’m here to hire you-...no no ok uh how about…’I heard great things about you and-’ no that won’t work…” she huffed, her trailing downwards at the thick pouch she held on tight. Perhaps it was a good thing it was small, it made the money she had collected that much more enticing.

She sighed, thinking back on her day. She had kept herself busy. swiping coin left and right, talking to people who only had pieces of the mysterious woman. Luckily there had been no more disappearing incidents since morning. But she could feel it, this ever looming presence that it could happen at anytime when she least expected it.

This was her only chance.  

“Countess Lacroix I need to hire you to kill a-”

Her words were cut short upon realizing she was much closer than she anticipated, dark silhouettes of houses and shops with dim lights of candles in the distance. One by one the lights began to go out, a quick indication it was getting late and the people were ready to call it the end of the day.

Lena mumbled a quick apology to her steed before giving the horse a swift kick for one last sprint.

 

* * *

 

No matter where you were in this country, the tavern was the one place to go for information and gossip.

Finding it was easy, galloping into town all she had to do was follow the trail of drunk men stumbling home.

If she was lucky, she could find any stragglers and find out just where the woman could be. If she was as elusive and mysterious as they said, no doubt someone would have at least seen her. But as she hopped off her mount, taking its reigns to tie it to a stake outside the tavern she had to do a double take.

A black stallion, sleek and beautiful stared down at Lena who remained frozen. There was no doubt in her mind, the Huntress was here.

“...no red eyes huh?” she gulped, attempting to shake off her fear with a laugh.

It snorted, uninterested in the newcomer and continued to nibble on some oats.

Pulling her cloak tighter around her shoulders, she stood beside the door as people continued to pour out and took a deep breath. No time like the present, Lena thought to herself as she walked in.

“Oy, I just finished last calls,” the owner behind the bar grumbled, half annoyed but mostly exhausted.

Lena immediately had her hands up and offered him a calming smile.

“No worries here friend, I’m just looking for someone”

His expression didn’t change but she didn’t miss the way his shoulders lowered as she approached, “You know who owns that black beauty out there?”

“That would be the pale lookin’ lass over there” the man nodded his head behind him, continuing to pour out drinks for the few remaining.

Lena leaned over to the side, the entire tavern was set like a large ‘L’ shape, the main tables, entertainment and drinks at the bottom but off to the left of the bar was a corridor of smaller tables and chairs, mostly empty save for a long figure sitting in the furthest and darkest corner of the tavern.

She glanced back up at the man, his eyes focused on tending to the other patrons and yet there was a single drink sitting beside him. Full and waiting to be delivered.

“Not fond of ‘er?”

He laughed sheepishly, shaking his head, “In all honesty, she gives me the chills.”

Lena smiled, fishing out a couple of gold coins from her pouch and slipping it across the bar, “Why don’t I help you out then? I’ll give her the last call for ya if you give me one too.”

He didn’t question it, swiping the money and filling another mug of ale in one practiced motion, “Good, I’d rather not. But don’t go ‘round expectin’ me to be feelin’ sorry if I find your corpse somewhere outside.”

She said her thanks, keeping her comment about being something worse than a corpse being the alternative to herself and took the two drinks.

The path wasn’t too long, she was thankful for that, the dark figure seemed to be lost in her own thoughts staring out the window, watching people pack up and call it a night. It was a moonless night, the small candle on the table illuminated her face and yet she was as pale as the tales say she was. A black cloak with a silver clasp sat over her left breast, just barely open enough to spot a crisp black suit and fitted red waistcoat.

They were not kidding when they say she came from money.

“Service here terrible ain’t it?” she started, placing the wooden cup in front of her to gain her attention.

The woman didn’t move, only her eyes narrowed at the stranger. Lena felt her soul freeze for a moment. Golden eyes looked her up and down, immediately deciding her worth in a moment.  

“Agreed. Though I do prefer to be left alone,” her voice was low, smooth as silk with a look of warning.

Wherever the Witch kept her heart, it was pounding.

But Lena just smiled politely.

“My apologies for intruding, but I couldn’t help it. I’ve heard quite a few stories about you, Countess Lacroix.”

Her thin brow raised in curiosity,“Oh?”

Wealthy and legend aside, this woman was still a hunter and Lena knew anything about hunters, be it monsters, bears, or rabbits. They loved to hear about themselves.

“Is it true you shot a harpy with a crossbow on horseback?” Lena took a seat across from her, her eyes wide with excitement and voice filled with awe.

The Huntress smiled, the slightest upturn of the corner of her mouth but it was there.

“That one was quite exciting...”

_Got her._

“What about the bear from the other night? I heard it was as large as ten men and you took it down with a single shot!”

Lena was at the edge of her seat now, to be honest this wasn’t a show, a fake expression of awe when after a full day of searching for stories she actually was quite excited to meet the woman many feared to interact with. The woman shifted to face her fully, her long legs crossed off to the side as she picked up her drink. If Lena didn’t know any better, she seemed to be enjoying the attention.  

“It was closer to five…” she replied quietly, purposely taking a drink to let her words soak in.

“And the Sea Serpent? With your bare hands?”

At this the Huntress blinked in confusion,”...is that what they are saying now? I distinctly recall rope being involved.”

Lena’s eyes sparkled, the stories were true, she was perfect,“You’re amazing!”

She casually shrugged, as such accomplished hunters often did,“I have a set of skills that people do not, and therefore I have my job and reputation.”

“Perhaps I could interest you in another hunt?” she started,“I can assure you it will be the greatest game but just in case the thrill isn’t enough...”

The Huntress watched with unreadable eyes as Lena placed the large pouch of coin on the table.  

“Ever hunt a dragon before?”

Those golden eyes gleamed with unbridled interest hidden behind a stiff posture and a small smile.

“Can’t say that I have...” she purred, taking the pouch and inspecting its contents.

“It’s three days ride from here, a red dragon lives in the northern mountains and I’m the only one who knows how to get there. Simple as that! What say you?” she smiled, bright and full of excitement. Freedom from the curse was within her grasp and yet...

The Huntress remained silent for a moment, quietly contemplating the offer as her gloved fingers slipped into the pile of coin, pulled a few out then dropped them back in. She repeated the motion in deep thought, and with each passing moment Lena felt her hope dwindle away.

“Who sent you?” she said finally, her eyes still glued to the pouch.

“The next town over-”

At this she stopped her motions, cutting her off with sharp words. “I haven’t heard a single word of dragon attacks in this area or the next.” her eyes narrowed dangerously, ”Do not lie to me, _thief._ ”

Lena gulped, she should have known better to deceive someone whose entire job relied on observation and sharp intellect. With a long sigh she tried again, softer this time, tapping the mug in her grasp with her nails anxiously.

“...just me”

“Just you, in particular, wish death upon this creature?”

“It has something of mine and I want it back.”

The Countess Lacroix stared at her in disbelief, her lips curled upwards in preparation to laugh at the very idea.

“It’s. A. Dragon.” she shook her head, placing the pouch back onto the table.

“Anything you could have possibly lost it is either dead, destroyed, or belongs to it now and I have no interest in risking my life for a stolen pouch filled with coppers and silvers”

With that, she stood up, towering over Lena as she took one final drink before turning away.

Lena scoffed with a scowl, slowly taking the pouch back and taking her sweet time tying a nice knot around the opening.

“Well that’s just fine, I had no idea I was about to hire a coward.”

The mug was slammed back onto the table, giving Lena little warning as she was grabbed by the lapels of her shirt and lifted up and out of her seat before being shoved against the wall. Lena yelped, clutching onto the arm that held her up but fell quiet as the woman stared her down.

“There is a fine line between bravery and stupidity, and _you_ are flirting with _both_.”

She wanted to be afraid, this sudden outburst of raw strength caught her completely off guard and yet Lena could only feel anger. Her one and only hope was belittling her and she could do nothing but glare back, refusing to cower as the Huntress leaned in close.

“Do not ask me to do the same.”

Just like that, she let go, dropping Lena back into her seat and stalking away. Her black cloak trailed behind her, heels clicking against the hardwood floor, as she headed towards the back of the tavern where she had purchased a room for the night.

For a moment Lena remained there, defeated and watching her only chance of breaking the curse walk away.

Until she felt her fingers go numb.

Glancing down at her hand she realized too late it was now completely gone.

Lena launched herself out of her seat, swiping the gold with her solid right hand and sprinted after her,“Wait! Let’s talk about this!”

The Huntress shook her head, continuing her strong stride away from the girl.

“You would be more than a legend!” she called out,”They would call you Dragonslayer! Or something!”

“Not interested.”

“Just...stop for a moment an-”

Lena reached out to grab her arm, ideally forcing her to turn around, though not the smartest choice it would at least get her attention. However as she did so there was nothing to grab with. The pouch in her grasp dropped to the ground as if nothing was holding it at all, and the faint outline of her hand went straight through the woman’s arm.   

To Lena’s absolute horror, the woman saw it all, having turned around herself,  ready to give Lena another lesson but instead witnessing the disappearance of both of her hands.

The two stared at each other in complete silence.

Alone in a hallway of the tavern with a pouch of coin on the ground and Lena, standing there frozen in place staring at the stumps where her arms used to be.

She began to breath heavily, silently willing herself to not panic in front of the other woman.  

The Huntress pulled out a long dagger from beneath her cloak, stepping forward and holding it to Lena’s throat in one fluid motion. “What manner of specter are you!?” she hissed.

Lena held up her arms, meaning to surrender or mean no harm but just held two phantom limbs instead,“Ahh wait wait no hold on I’m….” she gulped, her chest rising and falling erratically with every breath as her lungs struggled to find rhythm.

“Oh fuck h-hang on-I just….W...wooden floor….black cloak, coin pouch, not spilled, thank God…., really...sharp knife…”

Said blade was pushed closer to her neck as the Huntress’ patience grew thin,“Answer me!”

“Will you give me a moment woman!?” Lena barked back.

To her surprise, she let go, removing the dagger from her skin but keeping it tight in her grasp as Lena fought to catch her breath.

Slowly, her forearm flesh reappeared, slowly rising until forming her wrist and continued upwards until her palm was now visible with five fingers on each end returned. She closed her fingers into a tight fist then opened them again, now able to feel as her nails dug into her skin and the stretch of her tendons as she splayed out her fingers, she let out a long sigh of relief.

Lena finally looked up, finding the Huntress still impatient but quiet as she watched Lena’s body return to this world.

“Are you ready to answer now?” she asked, her voice dripping with sarcasm.

Lena’s eye twitched and she smiled with a sneer “Yes. Yes I am, thank you for your patience”

“And?”

She huffed, slapping her thighs she held her hands out, giving up and telling the truth for the first time in weeks,“I made a deal with the Witch of the Wilds.”

As expected, the Huntress stared at her with wide eyes.

No one was foolish enough, desperate enough, the price for her power was too high. Lena knew this and did it anyway, because she was that foolish and that desperate.

“She took my heart, and it’s making me...disappear...I can’t control it and it’s getting worse. I don’t want to die….at least I think I’m dying…whatever it is I’m doing I don’t like it and I want it to stop.”

She sighed, unconsciously holding her own arms as she spoke, fearing it would happened again she clung to herself.

“She hid my heart with the dragon. That’s why I need your help”

The Huntress stood there in silence, staring down at her, Lena couldn’t bring herself to look back. The entire situation was ridiculous and at the end of the day she was right, she couldn’t pay anyone enough to do what she was asking.

“I know this isn’t your problem, but you’re the only one who could possibly take on a dragon and possibly live. All I can offer is a hell of a fight and some stolen gold.”

“The Witch of the Wilds...” she started slowly,”Has your heart.”

“Uh...yes I just said that.”

“Your heart? Yours?”

The Huntress reached out and firmly grasped Lena’s chin, forcing her to look up at her,”Why? Why yours? You’re but a common thief? Why would she take yours and keep it hidden away?”

Lena gulped, unable to move as those golden eyes searched her face for some kind of answer to a question Lena herself had been asking for months.

“I don’t know…?”

A sly grin grew on her face, that look of excitement returned to her eyes as she released her grip and slipped her blade back into its sheathe.

“What’s your name girl?” she asked, taking two long strides back to swipe the fallen pouch from the ground.

“...the...name’s Lena.”

“Go get yourself a room, we ride at sundown”

Lena barely caught the pouch as it was tossed over to her, the sudden change in demeanor  a whiplash of confusion that left her dumbfounded as the Huntress began to walk away.

“I...what I’m sorry are you...agreeing to do this?”

She paused mid stride,“I thought I made myself clear.”

Lena scoffed,“No, no you really didn’t. What the hell changed your mind?”

The Huntress turned back with a sharp smile.

“You offered me a chance to hunt the greatest game of all.”

There was something about her voice, something about that glint in her eye that was different than before and it twisted Lena’s gut in realization.

“You’re….not talking about the dragon anymore are you?”

She smiled, the widest she had all night and Lena would later blame the overwhelming emotional ride of the day for her eyes playing tricks on her. She could have sworn she saw a set  of particularly sharp canines just barely hidden behind her lips.

 

“Sleep well, _chérie._ ”

 


	5. A Rough Start

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Despite their common goal, they couldn't be more different.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Happy Holidays!!

.

.

I̸̱̳̮͍̠͕̘̰͎̓̋͋̉͘͟’̨̢̥̱͙̲͎͚̺̒̒̓͆̾͘͟m̳̝̣͓̼̝̟̗̙͇̎͋̏͝…̭̩̲̦̤̟̱̥͂̂̽͂́̂̈͐̇…̢͍̙̮̬̥͍̈́̃̌͒̿͘͝.̩̥̯̭͎͐̈́͌̌̔̆̄̚ş̛̲̘̯̾̐̄̍͒͢͢͝ͅo̸̢͖̦͇̦͛̿̀͋̅̔̈͘͢…̵̠̱̤̮̭͓̫̝̩̊͗̆̾͡…̷̡̧̥͔̱͍̐̋̓̊̈́͠.̢̢̗̳̭̩̮͆͑̍̀̍̅̌͐̿͠.̷̨̪̹̞̘̩̓̿̽͊̍̓̏̔̏͟͝s̨̛̛̥̫͓̼̞͗̏͠o̸̦̹͈̖̹͚̾͋͌̈́͛̾̕͝ͅr̡̪͓̞͍͙̭͛̾̒͛̊͋̂̍̕͞r͉̻͇̗͖͇͐̊̓̽͐̇̾̌̒͊ͅỵ̷̮͚̩̋͑͐̈͌͘̕͢

̨͚͔̺̭̫̦͛̄̓̚̕͢ͅ

̸̯̥̖̲͍̘͈̼̉͑̍̐̅̅̍̏͢ͅP̴̡̩̣̹͕̯̲̖̘͐͗̀̑̑̂͢l̡̺͓̥͖͈̞̆̿̒͐̉͢͡ͅë͔̪͖͖̘́̇̒́̈́͒a͔̪̝͍̼̿̀͆͑̃̓̇̿͋͠s̷͓͚̻̪̞͇̮͕̮̋̏̐̓̚è̵̩̰̠̙̦͐͆͑͘͝ k̵̨̛̦̝̤̙͍͇͚̼̑̒̿̂̑̚i̶̳̰͕̟̟͈͍̞͊͑͛̊̋͐̚͞l̨̰̳̟͉̜͉̎̂͜͞͞͞l̸̡͙̱̣̺̹̗͊̋͋̋̕͠ m̶̢͇͍̂̈́͊̀̆͋͜͟͞͞ė̵̲̲̦̟̱͚̪̦̭͙͗̒͂͐͐.̸̙̥̦̦̥̱̄̈́̿̋̉̅̚͟͠͝ 

̤̺̜͙̦̊̔̍͘͝Ȋ̴̪̼̮̙̹͚̰̜̟̇̀͐̿̒’̷̗̪̳͇̳͔͗̂̾̐͞ͅm͕̰̭̲͎̺̘͋̀̎̈́͊̾ s̻̣̗͈̙̰̩͒̾̇̀̍́̚̚̕͝ǫ̧͙̦̪͕͆̊͌͐͂̉͘͜͝ř̙̺͇͕͚̹͈̩̤̉̈́͌͆̇͂̉͠ȑ̵̻̣̯̻͉̩̖͙̋̇̋͋̌͘͝y̡̢͚̬͍̩̖̹̙͒̈̔̈́̇͡͠ͅ.̨̢͈̩͇̲̽́̓͂̎͂̔͜

 

̸̛̣̞͇̼̝̱͖͐͆͒͘I̴̥̤͔̤̞̰͎̍̈̂̋̒ ḍ̢͉̱̦́̇̇͆̊o̵̭͇͓͔̬͎͎͔͛͆̐̃͑͐̽͝n̸̡̡̧̡̟͚̆̾͗́͐͐̕͜’̡̭͓̝̦̣̾͛̋̃͢t̵̘̭̠̩̮̃̅͒̄̒͞ w̷̡͈͔͖͔̙̦̘̿́͋̽͑̌̅a̸̡̡͓̺̫͎̩̘͓̒͗̆͌͡n̺͚͚̥̜͕̗̯̞̽̑̆̓̈̆͘͜t̵̟̭͇̯͚̞̼͔̄̍̊͂͌̊͒͂͠ͅ ṯ̢̡̞̣̺̣̼͇̥̔̈́͆͂͒̚ǭ͉̤̪̙̩͓̤̈́̔̇̿͑̚ͅ h̸̩̼̣̗͕̯̖̊̂̅̈́̏̊ư̶͕̟̫̠͖̝̻͒͊̇̊̈́͌͑͆͌͢r̵̰̙͓̯̻͎̜͑͆̔̾́͌ţ̼̣̼̥̎̏̓̇͘͞͡ ą̰̰͛͑̓͊̈̑͢͞ͅn̡̪̰̥̊̈͛͆̎̾͛͢y̶̢̧̛̻̩̙̜̼̻̪͆̔͟͡͞͞ơ̸̞̠̜͓͔̝̰̩͑͌͛͊͛̏͡͡n͎̗̤̻͍̪̆̈́̐̒͂̿̽͜ͅe̦͉̳̣̠̽͌̇̓͆̎̍͂̏ ą̶̭̘͉̞̰̬͙̠̽̒̔͐͒͌́͠n̡̠̪͔̬̦͇͕̑̈́͋̏͘͟y̧̡̧̩̺̟͔̲̺̓̌̿̔͛̚m̷̢̝̼̫̖̜͉͍̠͔͑̾̈́͐͘o̧̙̞̞̮̣̪̜̊͊̽̈̊͜͠r̠͓̭̞͔͉̞̱͖̂̐͂͐̿̆̉̅ȩ̴̻̗̣͈̱̭̭̏̿͂̍͌̾͡.̷̤̖̬̝̪̮͇̝̉̓̔̇̊͢͝ 

͔͓̺̟͓̖̆̄̐̑̋͛͑͗͢Į̷̣̺̭̣̫̜͌̌͛̾͠͞’̸̱̫̺̖̙͊̒̐̅̋͟m̷̦̼͈̙͉̼̰̄͛͗̄̕͢͜͠ s̶̨̧̧͈̥͔͖̣̜̟̋̂̊̐̀͘͠o̩̮̼̓͒̌͌͜͟͞r̞̲̻̤̜̗͗̎̍̐̀̑r̴̜̮̺̥̅͐͊̇̂̆͘͢͡y̨̛̹̲̙̱͓̟̘̳̟͒͑̎̓̽̄̓͐͋.̷̧̛̺̝̫̹͋͋́͑̀̆̍ Í̹͖̦̠̰̟̦̘̈͐̃̄͗̿̾̚͟’̷̡̦͓̣͈̈̍̈́̔̚m̵͉̮̤̼͓͖͓̜̃̊͋̽̀͠ s̶͈͓͈̲̻͍̽̒͆̉̆̅͘o̱̥̦̪̘̘̍̑̉͒̋̉̆r̡̨͔̱̼̲̩̍͌̎̈̓̓̕ͅr̳͇̭͈̦͇̱͆̓͑̿̃̀̚͝y͔̟͎̩̫̦̥̐̀͗̄̕̕͟.̤̖̞̺͙̥̜̰̣͂͐͊͑͐̃͝͠ I̴̧̢̭̖̖͎͈͚̪͋̓̀̔̆̉̓͆̕’̨̣͇̭̜̦̝̝͙̎͑̎͛̆͊̆́̄͢m̢͖͎͓̳̉̽̌̎̚͢͡ s̛̱̹͔̯̯̙̍͆̕͢͟o̡͖̖̰̦̳͕͍̎̄̈́̆͂̎̔̐̃͜͞r̴̨͍̞̘̥̩͕͔̣̾͋̚̕̚͢͠r̶̞̣̗͙̱̞̫̗̰͗̆̿̅̆͘ẏ̡̛̭̠͚̫̥͈̺͋͆̎̇̕͢͡ͅ.̢̤͎̖̖̙̠͊͒͛̈́̓̿͝ 

̵̫͚̩̖̬̲̇͐̑̅̈́͝ Y̟̙̹̟̤͂̿̊̈͊̾̃̐͞o̸̡̧̧͚͓̬̅̓̔̊͢͡u̵̪͈̺̼̻͓͊̔̈́̅̄͌̍͐͝ h͖͍̙͈̭̣͇͚̑̓̔̌̅́̕͞͝ǟ̟͚̹̠͚̪͇̇̕͘ͅv̶̨̻̱̹̟̫̭͗͊̔̄̔͡ĕ̡̗͙̩͚̗͚̗̠̀̐̈́̔̓̀̕͡͠ t̶̩̻̬̠͎͙̱̝͙̦̎̀̏̒̌o̷̜̩̳̤̝̖̓͌̑͒̒̊͌̂̉ s̸̪̬̞̤̭̺̥͚̲̒͛̌͒͢ţ̵̡̰̹̜̣̿͒͆̑̄̕͝͝ͅo̴͔̙̪̳̺͗̓̽͒̄͡͝p͈̳͓̠̥̲̾̉̽̉̋̈ m̶̜̜̤͓̱̞̫̖͌̎̈́͛̀̄ȅ̵̯̗̳̞͙̪̟̉̈́̊̑͜.̶̩̯̬͔͇̲͎̿̍̇̃̃̏̊̋͞ 

̵̧̛͔͓̺̦͇̳̭̦͐̆͌̐̆̊͢

̷̹̺̣̻̳̪̮̻̉̂̎̄̾͒̽͜ͅG̨̧̡͕̯̩̟͗̄̆̉͘͜͞ͅẽ̵̳͔̰̫̞̜͎͚̇̀̊͌͠r̡͉̠̗͕̄͐͑͒̂ḁ̶̩̖̹͓͕̏͗̈̈́͐̐̊̚͞r̴̹̭̙͚̝̲̖̊͗̀̊̌̏̈̚͘d̵̢̥͚̜͚͓̤̞̔͛̓̈̿͊͟ p̡̛̥͎̤͚͎̮̝̺͑̅̋̓̓l̷̺͎̗̼͗̄͌̅̅͟ȇ̡̻̻̙͚̯͙̰͋̃̊̈́͘̚͜͡ͅą̴͖̞͕̘̬̃̊̃̅͂͘͢s͚̰̮͎̞̦͋̇̈́̉̈́̚͘͟͟͠͞͠ͅȩ̵̙̖͉̯͋͐̾̇͠!̴̡̪̠̬͈͔͋̂̎̄͌̚͢ 

̷̧̛̛͇͓̝̜̮̣͙̐̀̌̉͋͂̒̾

 

**̛̠̞̫̝̬̲͗̍͒́̅͊̈͞ͅK̯̭͖͉̜͚̼̊̑̈́͆̾̕͘͝Ï̶̢̛̻̝̝̥͈̱̼͂̇́̒ͅL̷̢͍̬̬̬̬͒̾͒͗̓̅̆̾͡L̮͙̟̠̇̔̇̊̋̂̎̅̕̚͢ M̵̬̝̥̰͔̤̗̈͛̑̎̃̂͟͠͞E̱̹̤̟̪̣̠͖̅͛̆̃̓͂̑̚͟.̡̧̪͇̩̦̝̻͙͑̉́̍͊͂̏͆͠͠**

̛͚͖͍̘͌͐͐̈̅̇̀͐̚͟

.

.

* * *

 

Her eyes snapped open. 

 

It had been a long time since... 

She couldn’t call them nightmares, those were terrifying dreams of what could be... no, this was a memory. It had happened , but now of all times, her subconscious chose to recall them. 

Amelie blinked past the haze as she pushed herself up. Outside her window was a busy bustling city no different than any other she had been to this week. The sound of peasants scrambling to make ends meet never woke her, only the dying light of the setting sun was enough to rouse her from her death like sleep. 

She let out a long yawn, swinging her legs over the side of the bed and swiped the flask sitting on the tableside. Feeling the weight of the liquid within, she realized she was running low, taking only one long drink to preserve the rest for the remainder of the day - there was no telling when she could refill it again, especially now that she had a traveling companion. But what she took was enough to revitalize her and ready her for the long journey. 

Her small room was dark, but when she had first arrived it was not dark enough. Her black cloak hung over the rod holding a small thin curtain that she had decided just won’t do to block out all forms of light.

She slipped boots on and grabbed her waistcoat as she finally stood, stretching and yawning in doing so. Originally she had planned on staying here, listening to the rabble for any sign of a potential job. The time in between hunts were always slow, boring and often not worth the wait. 

But this?

A surge of excitement hit her at the very thought of prey to come.

Combing her hair with her fingers a few times, she pulled her long locks into a tight high ponytail. 

A dragon was one thing. 

Most dragons had stopped meddling in the affairs of humans as their numbers dwindled to almost nothing. Knights, sellswords and foolish thrill seekers killed for revenge or sport. She had no reason before, and even after the job was offered there was no point. 

She carefully slipped her gloves over her cold hands and swiped her coat from the back of the small chair in the corner, putting it on in one fluid motion. 

She wasn’t in it for the dragon.

 

_ That _ was a bonus. 

 

She strapped her rifle to her back, and her daggers and small crossbow to her belt as she stood before the window.

Orange light spilled from the edges of the cloak as the sun began to set.

With a long sigh, she reached out, taking hold of the silver clasp.

Even through the leather of her gloves she could feel it. 

A dull throbbing,  _ burning _ pain as if touching a kettle brought out of the hearth seeped through the thick hide. But her fingers were numb, used to the sting, always touching the silver to ensure it stayed that way. 

The Huntress took the cloak from the window and flung it over her shoulder. 

At the end of the day.

  
She had unfinished business with the Witch of the Wilds 

The Witch was possessive of her toys. 

Should this heart worth keeping and protecting suddenly go missing...

 

Clasping the cloak over her heart she left the room behind to begin the journey long overdue.

 

* * *

 

“Oy! G’mornin...well I guess evenin’ now huh?”

 

The girl, Lena, was fortunate to speak up when she did. Upon leaving the tavern Amelie found her horse snorting and whining as a hand ruffled his ears. 

Her initial shock of her loyal steed taking a liking to the stranger was replaced with mild annoyance as the girl placed a big obnoxious kiss on his black snout. 

“In the last town you were in, the people said you had a horse black as night with fearsome red eyes. Gave me quite a start when I came ‘ere but you’re a sweetheart, aren’t you? Such a good, handsome boy,” she cooed, scratching the side of his long neck to which he immediately leaned into. 

“What’s his name?”

“Cauchemar. Stop touching him” she mumbled, walking straight past her to adjust his saddle. 

“Ca...couch...eh mar?” Lena smacked her lips as if to adjust herself to form an accent but failing miserably. 

“Ah… French is kinda tricky…”

Amelie said nothing. 

The air between them grew in weight but Amelie continued on uncaring for it. 

But clearly Lena was not alright with the awkward silence. 

She cleared her throat, stepping away from the black stallion as the Huntress worked, “Uh...so you know..at first I was thinkin’ you mad for wanting to shove off at sundown but I won’t lie it was nice to sleep in...and not outside!” 

“You had enough coin to get you a month at the cheapest inn”  she says while inspecting the bags strapped to the saddle. It was still full of gunpowder and one silver bullet short, but she could make do for the time being. 

“Yeah but that don’t mean much if I’m disappearing half the time though.” 

Amelie shrugged, continuing the inventory check, which included shaking a container of holy water within a flask, which was also inside of a bag, and another bag. Just in case. 

“But soon as this is all over its a nice cottage for me! Oh and chickens! Gotta have chickens!” 

Satisfied with her loadout, she grasped the horn of the saddle and hoisted herself up with practiced grace.

“Oh right leaving now, ok!” Lena panicked, struggled to get herself over the large brown horse at first but managed to get herself situated just fine. 

But realized Amelie quietly observed with judging eyes. 

  
“...uh…” 

Lena just stared back stupidly. 

  
“I do believe you are leading the way,  _ cherie. _ ”

“Oh! Of course apologies uh...well…”

Amelie slowly closed her eyes and counted to ten in her mind. This was going to be a long three days. 

But she was desperate, this was the strongest lead on even possibly getting the Witch’s attention - and all she had going for her was this girl, who put a hand on her chest where her heart would be and searched the sky as if trying to find it’s beat. 

“This way!” she said with excitement in her eyes and a swift kick to her steed and off she went. 

Amelie sighed and took off after to her. 

 

A very long journey indeed.

 

* * *

They were only a few hours out of where they had started and Amelie’s patience was already running thin. 

“Sooo why  _ did _ you want to leave at sundown? I mean no complaints but uh, just a little odd to be traveling when it’s dark? Don’t you think? I suppose it’s more adventurous? Is it because things you’re hunting are out at night?” 

“Skin condition.” 

Quick. Short. Simple answers were her only replies to every single one of Lena’s inane questions in hopes of shooting her into silence. But Lena didn’t seem to catch the hint and continued on regardless. 

“Oh!….oh I guess that explains the black and all the covers and the hood and all! Sorry about that didn’t mean to pry I just thought it was odd but I guess that’s perfectly fine I don’t really have much of a sleeping schedule or anything so that works for me!”

The amount of will power it took to not turn off the nearest crossing was nearly unbearable. Honestly Lena probably wouldn’t have noticed, she continued on ahead of her at a good walking pace, munching on whatever she had purchased before the journey. Amelie was well acquainted  with every single item Lena bought as she explicitly told her and the reasoning for having it repeatedly. 

Lena seemed very excited to be purchasing anything, she had apparently woken up earlier than  it was time to begin the journey and proceeded to go on a shopping spree while Amelie was asleep most of the day. With coin in her pocket she bought an insane amount of food, water skin and a tiny bed roll that honestly looked like she took from the tavern she slept in. 

Amelie had give the inexperienced traveler her lantern to lead the way as they continued on the long road between villages as the sun disappeared behind the hills leaving them into darkness. 

Normally the Huntress would take in this time of quiet solitude, no one on the road, a soft cool breeze pushing through the trees and the chitter of nocturnal animals awake and excited. 

But currently she couldn’t hear anything past Lena’s constant chatter. 

“You know...you haven’t eaten anythin’ all deal cept drinkin from that flask.That’s not gonna hold you if we keep going, you sure you don’t wan-”

“I’m fine” she hissed, her voice sharp enough to stop her from slowing down her own horse and offering anything.

It was very clear this girl wasn’t used to having company, at least for long periods of time. Any chance they happened to pass by someone Lena would immediately greet them, on two occasions she befriended the strangers while stealing coin right out from under them. She was a people person by nature and she couldn’t have been more opposite than herself.

Honestly it was rather draining.  

“By the way, you come from money right? Why are you doing this?” Lena only paused to take a large bite out of an apple, her mouth completely full but continued to talk anyway,” Oo ‘on’f ‘eed t’ do an’ing this crazy ” 

“Bored.” 

She nodded vigorously in agreement, “Right well, I guess having all that money and no reason to wake up and tend to your business or farm would get pretty boring huh? But still! A Monster hunter? Of all the professions in the world why the most dangerous?”

Her eye twitched. 

“VERY bored,” she hissed. 

“Well alright...so...When did you decide to be a monster hunter?” 

Unable to take it anymore, Amelie pulled on the reins for a sharp stop. 

“Why did you give up your heart to the devil?”

Lena immediately yanked on the reins of her own horse to spin him around and face her. 

She just stared at her, unsure of what to say or how to even say it, if she should and this uncertainty only made Amelie’s eyes roll. 

Giving Cauchemar a gentle nudge with her boot, she continued walking straight past Lena as she stood there. 

“You ask too many questions  just get me to where we need to be.” 

For the first time since they left, it was quiet.

A heavy air of awkward silence settled over the two, but Amélie gladly accepted it over the alternative. Alas, it didn’t last. 

Hooves against the dirt trailed behind her in a faster pace to catch up until Lena rode right beside her. 

“Last one.” 

“I believe in no god but I will swear on someone’s name if it will serve to silence you.” 

“Why did you only agree to come after I mentioned the witch?”

Amelie remained silent at first. 

“You’re after her. Why? I only want what she took from me.”

Amelie scoffed, “After you made a deal she had every right to do so.” 

Had she blinked she would have missed it, a flash of anger in those otherwise gentle eyes. Lena gave her horse a swift kick and pulled against his reins to stand directly in front of Amelie stopping her in her tracks and forcing her to answer her questions. 

“Why do you want to kill her?” 

The smile Amélie offered Lena was cold and dark, and had no mirth behind it. 

 

“The single thing we have in common. She took something from me.” 

 


	6. By Starlight

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A darkness over the mountains brings a sense of foreboding, not that it bothered them much as they struggle to travel together without trying to kill the other.

They reached the next town by sunrise as planned, in silence as per their agreement - and it was about as terrible as Lena had expected it to be.

 

Being constantly surrounded by bustling towns and working people, noise had become a part of her life, and suddenly riding through the silence of the night only served to make her tense. Invisible eyes watching sent shivers up her spine, making the hair at the back of her neck stand up, and every rustle in the bushes, and every patter of small feet against rough bark only ramped up the feeling of unease.

The insane flip of her sleeping schedule didn’t help either, the dark unknown just beyond the light of her lantern was in constant battle with the ever approaching embrace of unconsciousness. Her head dipped every once and a while just out of her human instinct to be asleep as the moon was high in the sky, but a random hoot of an owl or fluttering of bats passing overhead would jolt her awake.

“We have to do this for three more days…” she groaned to herself, quiet enough to not disturb her lady highness behind her.

Lena let out a long yawn, reaching up to hopefully rub the exhaustion out of her eyes but nothing happened. She blinked back in realization that her hand was in fact gone at the wrist. 

However now she just sighed, tired of not only the situation but everything else at this point.

As before, she adjusted her self in the saddle to sit up right and took a deep breath.

“What’s to see what’s to see…” she mumbled, looking around her surroundings to find a distraction but immediately regretted it as only the pitch blackness looked back.

“...um...maybe trees?...probably some ghoul in the shadows just watching...ah ok no bad idea uh...horse!...brown...straggly hair...I should get a brush and fix that, I’m sorry friend. You’re my only friend here.”

The horse snorted, and Lena smiled wanly before reaching out to pet his neck with the hand that was present. Whether or not he was listening, the sound was still better than the oppressive silence.

“Um...what else is there….” she sighed, dropping her head back to groan but the new sight just above her own head brought her into silence.

She had been so focused on the darkness around her that she had failed to realize the beautiful night sky dotted in stars. Even as she traveled from town to town trying to survive she rarely had the luxury to enjoy the night beyond something that she tried to sleep off to move on from.

But now, forced to march through the night with arguably one of the world’s greatest monster hunter behind her for protection, she could enjoy the night for once.

However for a moment doubt struck Lena; they didn’t exactly start the journey on good terms. She carefully glanced over her shoulder, just to ensure that the Huntress was in fact still trailing behind her.

Much to her surprise, she was. Her head was tilted back, and she was looking at the stars with a look of relaxed contentment on her face.

A twist of annoyance struck Lena in the stomach with just how smug the Huntress appeared to be.

Of _course_ she was feeling relaxed, the shadows feared her.

Lena rolled her eyes and returned to the task at hand - getting through the forest in one piece - though at least knowing the Huntress was still there brought her some peace of mind.

A few hours later the darkness faded, the sky turning to light blue as the golden rays of the sun broke through the cover of the night, and a thick fog began to settle in place of the dark, still making it difficult to see but the path continued on. Lena clutched her cloak tighter around her center, dew settling on her and her saddle like a fine cloak.

Even with the cold, Lena was on the verge of collapsing in a heap of exhaustion on her own horse. However both times that her eyes drooped and head began to bob, a sharp pain against the back of her head jolted her back into awareness. 

“Let’s pick up the pace.”

Upon being spoken to Lena perked up just in time to see the Huntress move up beside her then ahead with her black hood was pulled over her head and dropping a handful of red berries off to the side.

Lena blinked in confusion until she rubbed the back of her head, finding small chunks of red berry smashed in her hair now staining her fingers.

Following suit, she mumbled an apology and the promise of a good meal and a nice rest to her steed before giving him a short kick to speed up.  They rounded the crest of a hill, and Lena sighed in relief as the buildings of the town they had been searching for came into sight. The first stop in their adventure was finally on the horizon.

Finding the nearest tavern and tying the horses up, the two made quick work getting inside and paying for a room. Individually again, much to Lena’s joy. She didn’t feel like fighting someone who punched ghosts for fun for the control of the bed.

The Huntress seemed just as grumpy as Lena felt.

She pulled her hood further over her face and spoke very little and made even less eye contact.

It very clearly unnerved the poor innkeeper, but he gave her a key anyways and she made a beeline for her room without another word.

“You two are coming in at an awful hour” he mumbled, grabbing another key for Lena,”What’s your story?”

Under any other circumstance Lena would be pulling up a chair and ordering a drink for the amount of human interaction she craved, but today her eyes struggled to stay open.

“Trust me mate, after I get some sleep in I’ll tell you all about it”

* * *

 

Lena slept like the dead.

 

She was so sure finding an inn right next to the main road would make the morning hustle too loud to find sleep, but her exhaustion was stronger than the noise.

But living one day at a time just to survive, she woke up out of habit well before sundown, albeit a little delirious and confused about what time or day it was.

She lay there in bed, staring at the ceiling as a terrible thought crossed her mind.

They had to do this for two more days.

Lena groaned. Perhaps it would be best to sleep in for a while longer.

 

* * *

 

“You’re going North?”

 

Lena paused a moment to swallow a mouth full of bread to reply,“You sound surprised.”

Just as promised, Lena had sat at the bar and told the innkeeper her story. With a few details missing and some embellishments for dramatic effect in mind, but she didn’t reveal the identity of her traveling companion. Honestly, she was just happy to have a willing ear and a conversation going. She had ordered a large meal and the largest drink she could before they had to start  out again, luckily for her the next town over wasn’t as far but still, another long night was ahead of her.

But the nice thing was, with the large pocket of coins she had for the first time in years, coppers and silvers that were all meant to pay the Huntress to help her retrieve her heart were now hers to spend to just get through the three days of traveling.

 _Technically_ she should be saving it for money to spend when her life was, somewhat, together again, but she couldn’t help the small splurge of a full course meal with meat and vegetables.

“Well, just this morning I got a few travelers coming in from the North” he said, popping the cork of a bottle and refilling her mug with more mead.

“Didn’t think much of it til a few others became quite a few, all from Adlersbrunn.”

Lena’s brows furrowed in confusion, Adlersbrunn was one of the largest cities within miles of anywhere, most business came from or out of there. Sure it wasn’t perfect but it was walled off, veterans of the last war protecting the people and conducting justice under the Lord of the Castle’s law.

“All of em? Any idea why? Something going up there?”

But the man shrugged, “Something nasty is brewing beyond those mountains, people packing up and leaving like that? Something’s got em spooked.”

And she was headed straight for it. Perfect.

“I was under the assumption we were in a hurry.”

A cold voice brought a chill with it as The Huntress walked by, her cloak brushing up against Lena’s back and she passed.

“Not gonna eat this time again?” Lena tried, offering a half eaten roll but the Huntress kept going, waving her off.

“I made myself clear the first time,” and with that she was out of the tavern, paying no mind to the eyes that quietly watched.

Lena rolled her eyes, fishing out coins from her pocket, “Right right don’t get your knickers in a bunch. I moved the horses to the stable around the corner and brushed ‘em and you’re welcome!” she hollered after her.

“Rich bastards...” she grumbled, taking her mug and taking several large gulps,” Aah! ...the same! All of ‘em the same!” she huffed, slapping several gold pieces on the table before standing, nearly double what she owed.

“Thanks mate, best leg I’ve had in weeks!”

The man only watched as the girl ran after the woman cloaked in black.

 

* * *

 

“Cauchemar! Hullo darling, how are you? Did you enjoy your snack?” Lena babbled with a wide grin, taking his snout in both hands and peppering his face in small kisses while the Huntress readjusted her saddle.

“I will ask you one last time,” she said with warning in her voice but continued to work.

She wasn’t looking but the chances were high that she did see Lena stick her tongue out at her.

“Don’t be jealous your horse likes me better.”

“You have your own.”

“Yes, I do. I named him Sir Chomp. Wanna take a gander as to why?”

Lena took a step to the side as her brown horse chewed on the wooden fence that kept him in. He didn’t seem to care much that Lena stroked the black stallions face, which was fortunate for her, she’d rather not be on the receiving end of his biting habits.

With a satisfied huff, the Huntress flipped the latch on the wooden fence and gently pushed it open while tugging on Cauchemar’s reigns, leading him out.

“Shall we move on?”

Lena’s shoulders sagged, back to riding until her rear end was beyond numb. She begrudgingly opened the fence for her steed, after popping him on the nose to let it go, “Look I know you’re not a fan of me talkin’ but I heard some strange things happenin’ near Adlersbrunn.”

The Huntress hoisted herself back onto the saddle, tugging her gloves tighter over her hands.

“Which is just beyond the mountains...” Lena watched as she mumbled quietly and look out beyond the hills,“ Then I should hope you are aware that’s probably no coincidence.”

Lena gulped, there was a strange tone of excitement in the Huntress’ voice that made her nervous.

“Be on your guard then. Perhaps things will get more interesting sooner than we think”

 

* * *

 

The ride out of town and to the next as the sun set behind the trees felt as though Lena was repeating the previous day.

 

She nearly had a head rush, feeling confused and even questioning if yesterday had really happened or she was reliving the torturous day all over again. But luckily for her the path for this evening was vastly different, passing by farm lands with long stretches of empty fields.

The moon taking it’s crescent shape did little to illuminate the land, but it was still enough to be a constant reminder they were no longer in the dense forest where unseen eyes watched quietly and every rustle sent her into a state of paranoia. She felt safer out in the open, at least she could possibly see her impending doom run at her, in theory.

They continued on in silence once again, much to her annoyance, and so she took to mumbling to herself, or Sir Chomp.

“Just another night...traveling in the dark...with a broody quiet type...excellent…” she sighed.

“I can hear you,” a sharp voice called out from behind, Lena could almost hear her rolling her eyes into the sky.

“Oh Christ, are you going to get me to stop talking at all now?” Lena whipped around, narrowing her eyes at the Huntress who just looked back, brow raised in annoyance.

“If it stops you from falling asleep, subsequently falling off your horse, then please by all means continue talking to Monsieur Chomp. I seem to be out of berries to keep you awake.”

“Hey it took me a long time to get all those chunks out of my hair!”

“You are welcome.”

Lena groaned. She turned back around and gave her steed and only friend a quick nudge with the back of her heel, making him snort but quickening the pace. The sooner they reached the next town the better, which luckily for her was shorter than last night’s adventure.

But a couple of hours in, lantern lit and strapped to the saddle, a beautiful night sky and moon accompanying them on their way, Lena began to spot other lights in the distance.

It wasn’t until much later did it become clear it was other people along the dirt road going towards the town they had just left.

No doubt coming from city as the previous innkeeper mentioned.

At first she watched them go by, just average citizens on horseback or in carriage, alone or taking their loved ones along but seemingly following each other to supposed safety. It didn’t take long before Lena’s curiosity got the better of her.

“Oy! You there!” she called out, as soon as a carriage was close enough to approach,”You comin’ from the mountains?”

An old man and his wife she assumed, nodded slowly, tired but determined to continue on their way. Lena tugged on the reigns and spun her horse around to slowly follow the carriage side by side.  

“Y-yes, Adlersbrunn.”

“What is going on? Why’re you-”

“Let’s go, cherie.”

Lena turned back finding the Huntress standing right where she had left her.

“What? You’re not the least bit curious? They’re literally the fourth group that’s running away from where we’re goin’ to!”

She rolled her eyes. Again.

“Fine. Ask away” she said, folding her arms across her chest and waiting.

Lena huffed, how anyone could possibly be this stubborn and uncaring was beyond her but she took advantage of the time given while she had the chance and asked everyone she could.

 

“Our doctor has gone mad, he’s refusing to see any of our sick!”

 

“No one has seen him in days!”

 

“There’s been strange noises, coming from underground.”

 

“Our dead missing! Cemetery stripped clean in the night”

 

“A deathly smell from the west...a terrible foreboding!”

 

Lena gulped, watching the last of the Adlersbrunn group continue on their journey to somewhere a little less haunted, and for a moment she felt jealous.

“Satisfied?”

The Huntress shook her head as Lena returned with her tail between her legs.

“Well I won’t be sleeping in a few days but at least we know something” she pouted, shooting a weak glare as she caught up with her,“You...think it’s her?”

She shrugged, “Could be a number of things.”

“Yeah but this has you gotten all tense.”

The Huntress scowled at her, she wasn’t wrong. The lack of retort was only further proof of that. Her shoulders sat square and unmoving with every passing tale of the going ons of beyond the mountains. The strange activity could be anything yes, but clearly the Huntress knew more than she was letting on.

“What? You gonna ask me to stop lookin’ at you too?”

“No, clearly you’ve been getting an eye full every day.”

Lena scoffed, well she wasn’t wrong about that one honestly.  

For a brief moment they rode side by side for once, in a quiet heavy atmosphere that Lena could no longer ignore for the sake of awkward politeness. Even if she were her only hope for survival against a witch’s curse, she was still an asshole.

“For being the only person that’s seen you for more than a few minutes should I consider myself honored? The people fear you and you clearly enjoy it. I wonder how they would feel if I just told them you’re just any other stuck up hunter who thinks they’re above anyone else?”

At this the Huntress laughed, bringing her hand up to cover her mouth in an exaggerated motion of amusement that did not reflect in her eyes, “Oh yes, clearly they will believe the thief that’s been spitting lies and false loyalties everywhere she goes.”

Lena felt her eye twitch.

“Besides, you wouldn’t be in this oh so terrible situation if you hadn’t sold your vital organ in the first place. Which, by the way, what kind of _moron_ would do that in the first place? Seeing how you’re on this grand adventure to take it back I could only assume it wasn’t worth the price now, was it?”

Lena’s grip on the reigns tightened as her eyes narrowed dangerously, hoping her eyes would burn the side of her face, “You keep saying that and yet you clearly let the witch fuck you over too.”

“Ah yes, but you see the difference between you and I.”

Finally, she turned her head, finally gracing her with eye contact but those eyes were as cold as her voice, “I wasn’t willing.”

Lena fell quiet, the smug look on the Huntress’ face slowly chipping away at her resolve,”...I knew I should’ve hired McCree…”

“Please, that idiot American is off chasing his own tail.”

“At least he would have been better company.”

The Huntress picked up the pace, passing Lena before calling back in a disdainful tone,“Then it is quite the unfortunate chain of events for you. Now come along cherie, the sooner we get there the sooner we can be rid of each other.”

 

* * *

 

“What do you mean there’s only one room left?!”

 

“I’m terribly sorry miss, but folks been passing through all day from over the mountains. A single bed is all we got left.”

The journey may not have been particularly long or hard, but the tense air between the two was nearly suffocating. The amount of willpower it took Lena to not kick her horse into a full sprint just to get away from the Huntress’ ever looming presence was intense enough, she had dropped her food several times as her hand went missing more erratically but she refused to spend any longer with the Huntress than she had to and so continued on, leaving the fallen food behind even though it pained her to do so.

And now at yet another town at yet another inn her plans for a peaceful nights sleep came to a screeching halt.

Before Lena could protest, the Huntress stepped forward, slapping gold pieces on the counter.

“Very well then.”

“Wh-”

“You’re good at sleeping on the floor no?”

Lena’s jaw dropped and she could only watch stupidly as the innkeeper gave the Huntress an old key.

“Down the hall, last door on the left.”

“Merci.”

The Huntress turned on her heel and brushed past Lena as if she wasn’t even there.

“You’re joking.”

“Go fetch your bedroll then, or you sleep outside. You’ve grown oh so close with Cauchemar, I’m sure he wouldn’t mind your company.”

Lena was at a loss, somewhere in the back of her mind she knew this was bound to happen. However at the time she was convinced it would just be a situation on the socially awkward side rather than have the utmost disdain for her roommate. She had never shared a room with anyone in her life past seven years old and honestly it was more of the slight inconvenience of sharing a living space that she’d rather avoid. But now she would rather not even look at this woman for at least an hour to calm down but here they were, and in the end it wasn’t even worth the fight.

“Fine...don’t lock the door on me!” Lena huffed.

“Don’t take too long cherie,” she winked playfully as Lena turned away. The teasing tone only fueled her anger as she marched back into the cold.

“Stupid smug rich bitch,” she grumbled, clutching her cloak tighter over her chest as a brisk breeze blew past her.

“Stupid dragon,” she continued, reaching the stable and quickly finding Sir Chomp on the verge of falling asleep.

“Stupid heart…”

He snorted in surprised as she entered and watched her curiously as she went for the saddle resting beside him.

For a moment she paused, sitting in silence and alone with her own thoughts for the first time in hours she reflected on her own words and sighed.

 

“Stupid...me…”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> "Sir Chomp" was the name of one of my patreons, I usually use first names but I just couldn't help it. I just had to use it!


	7. Blood

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Lena isn't as observant as she thinks she is.

She was right.

 

None of this would have happened if she didn’t make the deal. Her desperation to change the hands of fate cost her more than her heart and now she was doomed to suffer the consequences.

She almost wanted to laugh, holding the roll tight to her chest as she made the slow walk back to the inn.

 

Emily died anyway.

 

Lena had only changed how.

Her deafening screams of agony still rang in Lena’s ears and the sight of her blazing red hair matching the flames that consumed her flesh brought little sleep.

All of it was her fault.

But she’d be damned if she didn’t try to fix it.

If that meant bucking up and powering through a couple of days of her traveling companion’s insufferable attitude, then so be it.

Much to her surprise the door to their shared room was left open for Lena to enter, though honestly it was probably warmer in the stable as a chill crept along her spine as she quietly closed the door behind her.

The fine black cloak the Huntress wore with pride in it’s silver trim and brooch was hung over the single window, encasing the room in darkness that Lena could barely see through but managed to make out a few details of their arrangement.

She found the Huntress laid out on the small single bed like a corpse. Flat on her back, fingers intertwined and set resting over her stomach, hair loose from it’s tight ponytail splashed around the pillow like a beautiful painting, completely stiff and rather unnerving, Lena had half a mind to check if she even had a pulse.

Her things were neatly spread out. Gun, crossbow and other weapons meticulously set on the table, vest folded into a perfect square on the chair where her coat draped over with boots sitting before it.

In any other situation Lena’s sticky fingers would grab everything in sight and make a run for it, but in this particular situation she wouldn’t get very far from a master hunter and they had yet to complete their journey together. But the desire to create some kind of madness, something, anything to feel the satisfaction of revenge would suffice.

She quietly unrolled her small mat to the furthest corner of the room though her eyes kept scanning, searching for something to be tampered with.

Sabotaging the weapons were out of the question, those were to be at their peak performance if it meant keeping Lena alive. Judging by the amount of care her clothes were put aside taking apart a single seam or removing a button were sure to be noticed.

But moments before giving up on her futile attempt for petty vengeance her eyes found a familiar flask sitting innocently on the small tableside desk beside the bed.

Not once had Lena seen her eat a single bite, she drank from this flask and every once and awhile she would seemingly treat herself to a drink of ale or whiskey but for whatever strange concoction within was enough to keep her full and wide awake all night.

Her curiosity got the better of her as she silently tiptoed towards her sleeping companion.

She stood before the side of the bed, looming over the Huntress for a moment.

No sign of movement.

Lena leaned over and waved a hand inches from her face.

Again. Nothing.

Taking advantage of her complete unconsciousness, Lena slowly reached out and took the flask, there was very little left judging by the weight, a bit more than a single drink left.

Keeping her eyes set on the sleeping woman, she unscrewed the top and took a small sniff.

The bitter smell struck her nose like a solid punch to the face, and she nearly dropped the flask as she slapped a hand over her mouth and nose, holding it out at full arms length, turning her head to keep the offending smell away as she fought to regain her composure.

 

But still, the Huntress slept on.

 

Wiping her nose with the length of her sleeve, Lena stared at the flask for a moment. There was no god on this earth that could convince her to take a sip but her curiosity was yet to be sated.

Taking long strides towards the window, she brushed the thick cloak aside just enough to bring the mystery container under the light of the rising sun.

As the sky began to turn that familiar shade of soft blue, Lena stuck her finger inside the small hole of the flask, brushing it along the inside and brought it up and out towards the light in hopes of identifying the liquid.

 

Red.

 

Dark red stained her finger.

Lena’s stomach twisted into a tight knot in realization.

And as she turned around, still finding the Huntress where she left her, Lena stared just long enough to realize she wasn’t breathing.

No soft rise and fall of her chest.

Nothing.

 

Completely and utterly still.

 

All it once it all made complete sense.

Traveling at night, drinking only from the flask, her golden eyes and pale skin, the rumors of her strength and precision were no joke. She fought monsters with such overconfidence… and only did so with excitement because she was a monster herself.

But there was only one piece of evidence left to confirm such a suspicion.

According to the stories, these legendary creatures of the night were identified by the scars of their curse.

Such a power was transferred by a bite, assuming they survived the attack in the first place, usually along the neck or shoulder. These bite marks forever scarred their skin for as long as they roamed the earth for eternity.

Lena gulped, finding herself back at her bedside, returning the flask of blood to the bedside table with her eyes trained on the Huntress’ neck.

She couldn’t see it from where she was standing, the white collar of her shirt still stood tall, covering her neck as she slept soundly.

Lena couldn’t let this slide, she had to know, and it was pretty clear the Huntress had no intention of telling her even if she asked.

But without thinking, too anxious in her desire to discover the truth, Lena reached out with her bloody finger to hook the edge of the collar and slowly pull it back in hopes of revealing something along her neck.

Perhaps it was the scent of blood or the act of something brushing against her skin, regardless her eyes snapped open and body sprung like a bear trap as a hand snatched a fist full of Lena’s shirt and she was promptly shoved backwards.

Her back slammed against the wall as the tight fist against her chest kept her pinned just high enough to keep her feet off the ground. Her hands shot up to hold onto the fist holding her up but fell utterly still as the Huntress’ face curled into a fierce scowl, her eyes glazed over in a blind rage, she opened her mouth to expose two elongated fangs as she let out a guttural inhuman snarl.

Lena couldn’t breathe, the wind literally knocked out of her but also just at a loss for words or ideas. Her supposed savior was a vampire and she was on the bottom of the food chain here. She closed her eyes awaiting the pain of being torn apart and drained dry but...nothing.

“Oh” she said plainly, blinking several times and shaking her head as if to bring herself out of a daze,”It’s only you.”

The tight hold on her shirt disappeared, releasing Lena from the wall dropping her unceremoniously on the ground, hard on her rear. She yelped in surprise and pain but immediately pressed her back against the wall.

The Huntress yawned, her fangs shrinking into a smaller more manageable size as she rubbed her eyes, as if annoyed to be so rudely woken.

“Oh!? _Oh??!_ You...you could have killed me and that’s all you have to say?!”

“Were you not taught to never rise a woman from her beauty sleep?” The Huntress rolled her eyes, her voice dripping in sarcasm as she turned on her heel and swiped the flask from the small table as Lena watched on in terror.

The Huntress stared at it for a moment, had Lena blinked she would have missed just the slightest upturn of her nose as she sniffed it.

“...please don’t tell me you drank this.”

“You’re a vampire?!” Lena shrieked, pointing accusingly at the tall woman that didn’t seem perturbed in the slightest.

The Huntress ignored her for a moment, glancing back at Lena but immediately noticed her index finger stained in blood.

“...oh God did you stick your dirty finger in here? What the hell is wrong with you?”

Lena’s jaw dropped.

“Are you...serious right now. You...I…” more noises fell out of her open mouth that were supposed to be words but she found incredible difficulty forming them.

The Huntress sighed, glancing down at her flask running low, deciding it was best to save it for breakfast, placed it back on the bedside table,“Clearly you are not taking this well”

“You think!?”

“But think for a moment, have I given you a single reason to not trust me?”

True enough, but it did little to calm her nerves.

“Why didn’t...you tell me?!”

Her thin brow raised slightly as she gestured towards Lena and all of her panicked posture, “This reaction for starters, and honestly, I haven’t lied a single instance you asked a question”

Lena scoffed,“Not that you’ve given me much to ask”

“You’re annoying and loud. What do you want from me?”

For a moment she couldn’t find the words, for the first time in her life she was stunned into willing silence.

“Christ…” she groaned, reaching up and pinching the bridge of her nose as a headache began to form around her temples.

The Huntress just sighed, the bed squeaking as she sat back down upon the old worn out mattress.

“It’s late, I’m going back to sleep,” she mumbled.

The continuation of this laid back attitude brought the fire of confusion and anger back into Lena’s stomach.

“That’s _it_ ? I discover your big secret and that’s _all_ you have to say?”

The Huntress leaned back, her arms digging into the mattress as she tilted her head to the side, watching in amusement as Lena finally found the strength to stand, clinging to the wall in doing so and keeping herself as far as physically possible from her.

“First of all, I never bothered keeping this a secret. No one asked or was smart...or stupid enough to figure it out. Secondly, does it matter?”

Lena nodded feverishly,“Uh...yes!? I am made of blood which, unless I’m incorrect, is a part of your diet?!”

“I don’t drink human blood.”

“Oh alright, is that supposed to make me feel better? Am I even supposed to believe you? How the hell am I supposed to even trust being in the same room as y-”

  
In an instant, her demeanor changed, her shoulders squared and became tense as her sharp golden eyes stared straight into Lena’s.

 

“ **I. Don’t. Drink. Human. Blood** ”  

 

Lena fell silent.

The Huntress’ tone was deadly and serious, almost as if she were offended by the very idea. But her anger was not directed at Lena, she quickly looked away and down at the floor the moment the words left her lips.

She sighed, sitting up from her playful posture, she ran her fingers through her long dark locks as she struggled to find the words.

The lack of composure and confidence was more worrisome than the fangs inches from Lena’s throat. She looked away, anywhere but at Lena as her hands intertwined nervously before speaking.

“I...understand your uncertainty,”  she started, her voice quiet and unsure as if trying to recall a speech she prepared but never had anyone to tell,“But whether we like it or not, we need each other...We continue on as we have been. To the dragon, get your heart, just as I promised and then we part ways. That is all.”

Lena had so many questions.

So many reasons to just get up and leave right then and there, see she could find another way if she really tried. The entire situation was born out of desperation, to save the love of her life, and now, to find any means necessary to find her heart she had jumped on the first idea she had - and here she was with a vampire that could very possibly kill her the moment she turned her back.

But in the few days they spent together, if she wanted Lena dead, she would have by now.

With one last long sigh, the Huntress steood up. Slowly, painfully slowly so as if to not frighten the human with any sudden movements.

But to be fair, Lena did flinch.

The Huntress said nothing as she stepped towards the table where her weapons were laid out.

Lena’s heart may be gone, but she felt something drop into the pit of her stomach as the Huntress slowly approached her with a long wooden stake in her grasp.

“I won’t hurt you”

Never before had golden eyes looked so sad. She held out the stake to Lena, who’s eyes flitted between it and the Huntress’ own rapidly.

 

“I promise.”

 


	8. Reconcile

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> She had every reason to expect the worst.

Amelie awoke the next day curled in a fetal position on her side, facing the wall and so close the the wood her nose nearly brushed up against it as she slowly sat up. 

She fought the twist in her stomach as the previous night’s memories flooded her mind, she had really hoped it was all just a ridiculous dream. 

But the small indentation in the old wooden wall where she slammed Lena’s body was still there, and the leather pouch containing the small collection of standard vampire hunting equipment was short one stake. 

A part of her wished she had made something up, perhaps convincing the girl she ate people who discovered her secret but was only sparing her to be led to the witch. But that most likely wouldn’t have gone any better than it did. 

The damage was done. 

And now the town thief and gossip knew her true nature.

If she was lucky perhaps no one would believe her, though as she had witnessed first hand that Lena was very convincing. There were already strange rumors circulating about the elusive Huntress, and confirmation that she was a monster would be accepted immediately and dealt with appropriately. 

Lord knew McCree had been itching at a chance to hunt her down. 

And he could try - she would be lying if she said she wouldn’t be looking forward to the thrill of the fight. 

She sighed, swinging her legs over the side of the bed she swiped the flask from her bedside, hoping breakfast would clear her head. 

But as she grabbed it, she nearly dropped it, not expecting the heavy weight in her hand. 

She stopped and stared at it for a long moment, frowning. She clearly recalled it being near empty as of last night. Yet as she held it, shaking it lightly to confirm the slight sloshing from inside, it was now full, even warm to the touch. 

Unscrewing the top, she took a quick sniff. 

Fresh blood. Elk.

Which was odd, considering she also recalled the last drink she had being rabbit. Old rabbit at that. 

Saving her questions for later she knocked it back and meant to take one long drink but the moment the warm blood spilled into her mouth the hunger took hold. It had been a long while since she had it fresh, being busy bouncing from job to job made it difficult to hunt her own food. Even more so in a public setting.

It was half way gone before she snapped out of it. 

She let out a satisfied sigh as her senses returned tenfold, revitalized and more awake and alive than she had been in weeks. 

She licked her lips and quickly screwed the top back on as she stood up.

Lena must have left earlier as she had in the past, unable to fully adjust to the vampire’s sleeping schedule. Assuming she was still around to continue the journey. She had made no indication of staying or leaving last night before they fell asleep in an uncomfortable silence. 

But the sun was setting, if Lena chose to leave now she could at least assume the witch was up to something in Adlersbrunn or just start back to square one for her hunt but regardless it was time to leave with or without her. 

 

* * *

 

“Sir Chomp, please, I beg of you. I need my fingers and you need a good brushing. Don’t you see how dashing Cauchemar looks now?” 

 

The brown horse snorted, shaking his mane and proceeded to walk past Lena and her brush, nearly slapping her face with his tail as he went. 

Amelie froze on the spot the moment she was close enough to the stables to find Lena inside, her hand hovering over the door as the girl let out a long frustrated sigh before flopping back onto a small stool, her hands covered in dirt and grim she dragged against her pants to be rid of it. 

“You’re...still here?” 

Lena jumped to her feet and immediately turned around at the voice, an almost tangible heaviness sat in the air between them as they stared at each other, somehow surprised to see the other. 

“Oh uh...good evening…” she started, clearing her throat as she glanced around nervously as if fearing their conversation would be heard, but just like every other day, the setting sun meant work was completed and the townsfolk with normal lives went home to their families. 

“Did you get the flask?” she asked sheepishly.

“I did...but how did you-”

“I uh...well I saw you were running low last night...bit of a weird story though, I followed some bloke coming back from his huntin’ trip to the butcher and he let me drain his kill. Which, I’ve never done before and I’ve now learned that it’s awful.”

Amelie stared at her for a moment, honestly surprised at the gesture but mostly confused considering she nearly tore her throat out last night. Being fed was literally the farthest thing she was expecting.

“I...” she stopped herself, completely at a loss for what to say at first until deciding,”...but...why?”

Lena let out a long sigh, looking anywhere else but Amelie as she rubbed the back of her neck. 

“Look...I just...wanted to apologize...I shouldn’t have touched your things or you for that matter...you’re doing this...quest or something for me and while I don’t know your reasons, still, you were right. I have no reason to not trust you...so I hope this...I don’t know...maybe makes up for it?” 

She offered a weak smile, hoping to ease the tension and awkwardness in the air,”Besides, you had some blood going sour there, no wonder you’ve been in a bad mood” 

Amelie raised a brow at the girl, narrowing her eyes suspiciously, “You’re taking this very well” 

Lena laughed nervously, she was a very good liar. Perhaps if she had her heart, Amelie would hear it thumping as she put on a calm demeanor. 

“Look, I’ll be honest I had a nice panic this morning but let’s be realistic, my body is disappearing as we are marching towards a dragon because of some crazy witch and there is some strange horrors happening over the mountain...you being a vampire doesn’t seem  _ nearly _ as bad, all things considered.”

At this, Amelie cracked a small smile. The girl wasn’t wrong, and strangely that was very comforting. Tugging the wooden fence of the stable open to enter, she stroked Cauchemar’s long neck, admiring the nice sheen to his coat and brushed mane. 

“Besides, I’d be lyin’ if I said I didn’t feel a lot better knowing you’re not human. Maybe you’ll actually survive,” Lena laughed, popping her horse on the nose as he continued to gnaw on the fence. He snorted in annoyance but stopped as she placed the reigns over his face. 

“Are you saying you’ve had your doubts about me and my skills?” Amelie replied over her shoulder, packing her things and strapping the saddle to her steed. 

“Sorry love, but I’ve never heard of a dragon slayer in my lifetime who lived very long.”

She was afraid. Amelie could feel it in her voice and the way she dodged eye contact, hiding behind her smile and jokes. 

No other human knew of her identity, Amelie was so sure it would be impossible to stay connected to anyone that were technically, as Lena said, a part of her diet. 

But it was better this way, she enjoyed being feared and this was still good enough for her. 

They continued like clockwork, prepping for the long journey ahead. 

Dark clouds loomed over the hills in the distance, and Amelie could feel the moisture in the air building up with the scent of rain on the horizon. 

Lena noticed as well, quickly finishing up and pulling herself up onto the saddle. 

“We should go soon, looks like it’s going to rain on us and if we don’t we’ll get caa-AAAHH.” 

Amelie saw it happen as if in slow motion, she would’ve missed it had she blinked - but as Lena stuck one foot into the stirrup to push herself up, it flickered. From the knee down her leg faded from view like a dying candle before completely disappearing. With nothing holding her up Lena dropped straight down off the horse and landed flat on her back luckily on a pile of hay. 

Sir Chomp whined, stepping away and snorting in confusion as Lena lay there, just as confused. 

“...ow…”

Amelie waited a moment before slowly approaching Lena’s side of the stable, the last few times her limbs went missing randomly she was good about keeping it hidden from the eyes of others or brushing it off. Half the time Amelie didn’t even notice, but this was new. 

She stood looming over her as she stared down at the missing limb curiously.

“Cherie.”

Lena opened one eye, looking straight up. 

“Yes Huntress, how can I help you?”

“Your leg is missing.”

Lena blinked past the haze before pushing herself up, her elbows digging into the hay as she looked down where sure enough her left foot and calf were gone. Her knee appeared to be on the verge of fading away as Lena’s breathing hitched and increased in rhythm. 

“Oh...w-well...that’s...oh God...that’s new ok right then uh, please hold on. This will only take a moment” she squeaked, her composure threatening to shatter as she dragged herself to the nearest hay stack. 

Leaning with her back against sturdy support she began speaking to herself, her eyes wide and full of panic as she desperately searched for something in her surroundings, her chest rising and falling erratically with short breaths. 

“Ok...alright uh….stable...lots of hay….uh lots of shit...a good horse whom I love and an idiot horse but I love him anyway…”

After naming things she could see, she immediately looked at her leg but found it still in the same state as before. Lena groaned in frustration and closed her eyes, forcing herself to concentrate. 

Amelie waited, leaning against a short wooden divider between the two horses and watched Lena curiously. Nothing was happening, she kept peeking with one eye just barely to catch a glimpse of her leg but nothing changed. 

“What are you doing?” Amelie finally asked. 

Lena sighed in defeat, keeping her eyes shut she thumped her head back against the stack of straw in frustration. 

“Look just...don’t worry about it. I just need to distract myself and I’ll be fine. We really need to get going if we want to beat that rain” she mumbled, her voice weak despite her determination to continue. 

“Then tell me.”

Lena’s brows furrowed for a moment before finally opening her eyes, looking up at the Huntress with confusion,“Tell you…?”

“This thing you do, tell me about it. It will distract you and I’ll pretend to listen.” 

At this she finally cracked a smile. 

“You? Pretending to listen? I think that might be the nicest thing you’ve ever done for me” she laughed, but then paused in thought before adding,“Next to not killing me.” 

“Don’t be smart with me” Amelie scoffed,”I couldn’t get you to shut up for three days and now you’re suddenly feeling shy?”

Lena smiled, shaking her head as she shifted against the hay, getting comfortable before telling the Huntress a small tale. 

“When I first starting disappearing, I passed out in the wood, I couldn’t breathe as I panicked. When I woke up, I was somewhere in the hills where a woman took me in and that’s where I learned about something called Grounding.”

Lena kept her eyes upwards, watching the birds nesting within the roof of the stable chirp quietly.  

“She said becoming overwhelmed with fear is like you’re floating away. Off the ground, away from yourself and into the void where the fear just takes over. So she taught me some things that calm me down when I panic, works pretty well for me.”

She held up her hand and brought up the appropriate numbers as she listed them off. 

“Five things to see, four things to hear, three things to touch, two things to smell and one to taste.” 

But as these words left her lips, Lena’s demeanor changed, she dropped her hand into her lap and seemed to shrink. Her head dipped into her shoulders as she looked away with a wan smile. 

It would seem as though Lena had never told anyone else this. 

“It...sounds ridiculous now that I’m saying it out loud” she laughed, finally turning back to Amelie with a sheepish look on her face. 

But Amelie wasn’t looking at her. 

“If it works, then does it really matter if it’s ridiculous?” she said, pointing at Lena’s legs where she had watched as her limb seemed to have grown back. 

Lena followed her gaze and stared at her leg for a moment in disbelief until she reached out and poked her calf.

Amelie had already turned back to Cauchemar, his reigns in her grasp as she opened the door to lead him out. 

“Now, shall we get moving?” 

Lena scrambled to her feet, straw still stuck to her pants and in her hair as she quickly rushed over to catch up, taking Sir Chomp’s reigns before he could get a mouthful of wood and opened the gate. 

“Uh...Wait...before we run off into the long road of silence can I ask you one thing?”

Amelie paused, giving the question some thought as she had already mounted her steed.

“Just one.”

 

“What’s your name?”

 

At this, Amelie stopped fiddling with her gloves and turned back to her. 

“I never asked, you never gave it,” Lena shrugged, hopping up to sit on the saddle with as much grace as a newborn foal, grumbling curses under her breath until she was successful. 

“I mean...I had no reason to call you anything before but...I dunno, seems a little rude to just call you ‘The Huntress’. Though I will say that  _ is  _ very intimidating and mysterious. Seems right up your alley that, all dark and broody and important.” 

There was no reason not to, no harm in it. Her name meant nothing now. 

“Amelie.” 

Lena stared at her wide eyed, and for a moment Amelie thought perhaps she was very wrong and her name was still remembered, but Lena’s expression cracked, and she struggled to keep a straight face, failing miserably at stopping herself from smiling. 

“...what?”

“...Amelie. That’s uh...well... I wasn’t expecting something so...  _ cute _ .”

Amelie’s face immediately fell into a scowl, and with each word she opened her mouth just a bit more to show off the sharp canines hidden behind her lips. 

“Cherie, I understand we were sharing a moment earlier, but don’t think I won’t actually make your leg disappear for good.” 

It seemed to have worked, Lena coughed nervously and quickly gave Sir Chomp a swift kick to begin the journey. 

“Alright alright keep your knickers on. I’ll keep my gob shut like you asked.” 


	9. Lessons

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Lesson #1: Understanding the truth about Vampire Lore

The clouds overhead darkened the sky, blotting out what was left of the sunset forcing Lena to bring out her lantern sooner than usual.

 

As promised she remained quiet. 

Enjoyable as that was Amelie couldn’t help but notice a difference in her demeanor.

Lena rode closer than usual, Sir Chomp’s tail parallel to Cauchemar’s face, keeping Amelie within the corner of her eye at all times. At first she assumed that Lena was nervous, no longer comfortable with having a vampire directly behind her and out of sight. 

Every now and then, Lena glanced back at her, checking if she was still there then quickly turning back to face the road to avoid being caught. 

But then she began to fiddle, biting her lip in thought, her fingers tangled in the reigns as though she very clearly had something she desperately wanted to say but fought the urge to do so to respect the promise of silence. 

After one too many nervous glances, Amelie let out a loud sigh to catch her attention. 

“What is it?” she huffed in annoyance.

Lena immediately straightened up, caught and called out. 

“N...nothing…!” she squeaked. 

Amelie rolled her eyes,“I told you...I won’t kill you. I hold my word.”   

At this, Lena whirled around in surprise,  “What? No! No no that’s not it at all!”

Tugging back on the reigns just enough to slow down and walk side by side with her, Lena shook her head vigorously as if not cause any offense. 

“It’s just...I had some questions…”

“ _ Mon dieu _ …” Amelie groaned, rolling her eyes into the moon as she let out a long exasperated sigh. 

Of course she couldn’t have expected everything to be swept under the rug. 

“Alright look to be fair I stock up on supplies when you’re sleeping so I really need to know some stuff about you, I mean...is elk blood even good? Do you have a preference or animal blood you really don’t like?” 

Amelie pursed her lips in thought, if Lena was willing and eager to appease her there was no reason to deny any information if it would help them survive each other. Also she would be getting free food out of it. 

“Elk and deer are preferred. The blood of predators is bitter.” 

She wasn’t sure what she was expecting when she told anyone any of this. Again, this was all information she never spoke aloud to anyone, and though at first Lena did seem uncomfortable initially, it quickly faded into nodding of understanding. 

“Ok I can do that, probably much easier to get blood out of normal people food anyway...oh hey wait does this mean I shouldn’t have any garlic on me?” 

At this Amelie stared at her in utter confusion. 

“I’m sorry what?” 

“I mean, I don’t normally have it on me but now that I have money I can buy food with it so should I maybe not do that? Or should I just not breath in your general direction after I have garlic bread or garlic chicken or-”

“What are you talking about?” 

Lena stared back, equally confused,“....the….vampire...garlic thing?” 

Amelie shook her head, honestly she would have laughed if Lena didn’t look like her world had just been shattered,“I...have heightened sense of smell...I suppose any strong scent would be generally unpleasant.” 

Her jaw dropped,“What….are you….but...we were always taught that garlic wards off vampires!”

Now it was Amelie’s turn to look disappointed though her disappointment was directed at humanity as a whole.

“...no...that’s not how that works.”

They continued riding into the night, sharing a moment of awkward silence until Lena realized her dreams weren’t in complete shambles.

“Oh thank christ, I love me some garlic bread I don’t know how I’d live without it.” 

“You still shouldn’t breathe on me...or anyone. That’s just offensive.”

“But that’s what I’m talking about, don’t you see? I don’t know what’s real! I don’t want to accidentally do something stupid and get you killed before you do your job.”

If this poor girl was led to believe a reasonably smelly vegetable was enough to ward off vampires, then this was important enough to disregard the request for silence. 

“Can you avoid asking anything regarding any backstory?”

“To be honest, something tells me the less I know the better.”

“Magnificent. Ask away.” 

 

The amount of inaccuracies humans shared amongst themselves was both endearing and worrisome, but it did explain why one too many ended up becoming meals for the supernatural. 

Fortunately it wasn’t as painful as she was expecting it to be, Lena listened intently, making sure she understand every reply, keeping a mental note of things to avoid and change. 

“Sunlight? We’ve gone out when the sun is still out a bit and you haven’t poofed into dust.” 

Sunlight could kill her, if it were bright enough, and if she were directly in the sun long enough, but the good thing about being in such a gloomy country was the ability to go out at anytime if she truly needed to. It was still annoying however, she just chose to avoid it at all costs with her thick cloak to protect her if she absolutely needed it. 

“What about holy artifacts? Crosses? Holy water? That do anything?”

Holy artifacts were a truth. Although she never touched a crucifix herself before, she had spilt holy water on herself by accident and now made a point of bagging it three times over. The liquid felt like hot acid, burning away at her flesh so fast she nearly went into shock, unable to do anything but watch helplessly as the top of her hand sizzled, burning away her skin and cauterizing the blood she could only wait until the blessed water sizzled away. There was nothing she could do after that but to wait for her body to react and begin the slow and painful process of healing. There was still a scar along her hand like splotches. 

“How in the world do you do your hair so perfectly with no reflection? 

The lack of reflection was definitely the hardest part of adjusting to her new life, for most of the beginning she kept it down. But as she began to travel on her own and discover the excitement of the hunt, she spent several nights trying to perfect her signature high ponytail on touch alone. 

“I’ve heard vampires could transform into mist or a bunch of bats!” 

That was another truth, however it was something she had never been able to achieve. Only the more powerful and older vampires could master such a technique, also a normal diet of fresh human blood definitely helped. 

“Can...can you talk to animals? Cause I swear it looks like you can talk to Cauchemar he’s such a good boy….wait….wait have you been telling Sir Chomp to be an ass to me!?” 

She couldn’t, but if she could, she absolutely would. The girl didn’t need to know that though, and she smirked as Lena scowled at her response. 

“What about silver? I’ve seen you handle it and you’ve got bullets.”

Amelie lifted her hand up,“Gloves.” 

“Ah...of course”

“It burns, perhaps I’ve used it so much I’ve gotten used to it,” she shrugged, faintly recalling some calluses forming on her fingertips.  

“...so why the silver brooch?” 

The brooch used as a clasp for her cloak was so worn and faded that the embellishment of a family crest long dead could barely be seen. But she still remembered it clear as day, a cross and the helmet of a knight mounted above the crest. 

Lena’s face dropped at the long moment of silence that sat between them as Amelie struggled to find an answer. 

“Oh...oh bollocks was that a question about your past? Sorr-”

“It was given to me” she started quietly, gently stroking the silver clasp in thought, ignoring the slight sting of pain,”...when I was still alive.” 

Strangely it felt nice, to say these things aloud. Her interactions with others were limited to where a monster was and how much it would take for her to make it disappear. Stories had always circulated about her, but she never paid any attention to them. It was safer to be alone without having to worry about liabilities or the possibility of becoming the hunted herself. She kept it that way and she was happy. But this... wasn’t unpleasant. 

Which is probably why she opened up as she did. Just a crack. Just for a moment.

She nearly regretted it, for as soon as it left her lips unchecked, Lena’s face split into an excited grin.

“Ooh! Was it a family heirloom? Can I see it? I’m so curious! Oh bloody hell now you got me all curious!” 

Lena’s smile fell as Amelie shrugged it off and kept her lips sealed, looking smug knowing full well that Lena was dying on the inside, squirming to know more, bringing her quiet amusement. 

“You’re not going to tell me anything else aren’t you…?” she whined, pouting like a child denied the end of a story.  

“Perhaps another time, for now I think it’s best we move on.” 

Amelie glanced at the sky, she could feel the heaviness the air and in her skin as the wind began to pick up, and the low rumble of thunder in the distance called out like a prologue to a downpour. 

Soon they reached a fork in the road, and Lena gave her horse a swift kick and went left, passing by an old decrepit sign that indicated the path to the northern mountains was on the right. They were incredibly close to their destination, but the weather had other plans. 

They barely made it to the small town in time, paying for a tiny stable just as the sky opened up and let loose a floodgate of rain upon the land. With hoods on, the two made quick work running across the road to an even smaller inn that was connected to a larger tavern. 

Once again they were forced to take another room together, but there was much less fuss about it this time around. Lena immediately conceded into sleeping on the floor, though getting her bed roll from the stable could wait until the rain let up. 

Normally they would still be on the road for hours, but now there was nothing to do but eat and drink until the storm passed. Which was exactly what half the town was doing, packed nearly shoulder to shoulder in the tavern, drinking and eating to celebrate another day well done. It was loud and obnoxious but somehow Amelie managed to find yet another seat in the corner where everyone seemed to avoid her like the plague. 

“If you don’t eat then how does ale work for you?” Lena asked, raising her voice just slightly to be heard over the crowd, placing a mug on the table in front of her. 

“I am not entirely sure myself, perhaps I’ve just gotten accustomed to it. Besides I don’t taste much, alcohol is the closest thing I can get to something although I cannot become intoxicated” she sighed, swiping the drink and taking a long gulp without even blinking, leaving Lena terrified and impressed. 

“That sounds kind of awful,” she mumbled, taking a seat across from her and taking a much smaller drink.

Amelie shrugged, raising her hand and shooing her off, “Run along and consume your garlic meats. I’m sure you’re dying for human interaction.” 

“Hey now, I’ll have you know I enjoyed our conversations when w-”

A woman’s shriek brought them both to a pause.

“Moolllyyyyyy….” a man called out, his words heavy and slurred as he whined, tugging on the back of a woman’s skirt to bring her closer towards him. 

She put on her best smile despite desperately pulling herself away while still holding plates and an armful of empty mugs,“Sir...p-please…”

“Molly love why don’t you take a seat right ‘ere?!” he laughed, finally pulling just enough to yank her off her feet and fall right into his lap. 

Lena’s eye twitched in annoyance as she turned back around, her head lowered, both hands grasping her mug tight. 

“I...think I’ll pass on the human interaction...” she muttered under her breath.  

The woman named Molly continued to express her distress but her cries went unheard as the man just laughed in her face, the group of lackeys around him just as smashed following suite in laughing at her misery. 

Amelie watched as Lena tapped on the side of the mug, increasing in speed with every passing second. Her patience wearing thin but she was helpless and hated every second of it.

“You’ve always been one to jump into situations _cherie_ , why not do something?”

Lena scoffed irritably,“I never steal from someone I can’t outrun.”  

Leaning back against the wall with her legs outstretched and crossed, Amelie held her chin on her fist, watching the scene unfold. She was right, he was a rather big fellow and judging by the nervous glances of other patrons they too felt a lack in ability to put him in his place and instead chose to join in as a safer option. 

“Bring him to me”

Lena stared at her for a moment,“...I’m sorry?”

“You fancy yourself a wordsmith no?” 

Finally, she turned her head and flashed a smile, her canines poking out just enough to be seen, her tone dropping into a low sneer,”Bring that fool to me.” 

A look of shock and unadulterated excitement flashed across Lena’s face as she immediately jumped to her feet.  

Placing both hands behind her, she leaned back, stretching out her shoulders and lower back for a moment before rotating her stiff shoulder as if to prepare for a strenuous performance. 

Swiping her drink, Lena took a long swig before flashing a quick wink. 

“One drunken idiot, comin’ right up!” 

Amelie shifted in her seat seeking a comfortable position to watch the show.

And what a show it was. 

With the drink tight in her grasp, Lena stumbled forward like a lifelong alcoholic and collapsed right into the obnoxious man, spilling her drink all over his shoulder, drenching his dirty shirt in ale. Molly saw an opportunity and immediately jumped out of his lap the moment he let her go in surprise and made a run for it. 

Obviously the burly man was no too pleased with losing his prize for the night and immediately stood to his feet grabbing a fistful of Lena’s shirt, nearly pulling her off her feet. 

“Watch where you’re goin you bloomin idiot!” he screamed in her face, redness creeping up his neck and his face in a drunken rage.  

But Lena just laughed, her eyes half lidded and cheeks burning a soft red that honestly Amelie was worried she actually was intoxicated for a moment. 

“Oy...Oy mate I got….something to….wait hold on…” she paused to burp,”....sorry scuse me, mate I gots somethin...to….to tell yas”

“I’m givin you to the count a five...” he warned, pulling her closer to his face. 

“Mate come now, good looking bloke like you going for small easy pickings?” she scoffed, pointing over her shoulder where Molly had run off behind the bar to hide. 

He stared at her stupidly for a moment, then let his eyes wander, scanning her up and down before cringing.

“You best not be offering, I’ve met lads more ladylike than you” 

Somewhere in the corner Amelie held a finger to her lips to not laugh, another small perk of being a vampire that she failed to tell Lena, though honestly Lena didn’t ask, was the ability to listen in on any conversation with perfect clarity that would normally be difficult to anyone else. It made eavesdropping a breeze and catching wind of any potential monster hunting jobs easier than actually speaking to others. 

She could hear all of this clear as day and it was more than she could have possibly asked for.  

Lena’s face dropped for a split second but regained her composure and shook her head. 

“Whot? Me? No no no mate I’m talkin about that bird over there!”

The man followed Lena’s finger, pointing over her other shoulder to where Amelie sat all by her lonesome, staring out of the window pretending to not notice. 

“Look at er! Legs for days mate, plump lips, gorgeous eyes-I’m tellin you.  _ That’s _ a prize to be won right there.” 

Oh they would be having a talk about this later. 

But until then she kept to the plan, if there ever was one, and continued to be oblivious to the fact that Lena was promptly dropped like a sack of potatoes and heavy footsteps, stumbling slightly but quickly corrected themselves approached her. 

“Well well I’ll be damned,” he introduced himself, standing tall directly in front of her, looming over her with a smug smile that made her sick to her stomach.

She turned, pretending to just notice him hovering over her, she could feel his eyes raking over her and smell the alcohol on his breath as he laughed. 

“That whelp was right,” he grinned, his voice low and teasing as he leaned in, one hand on the table to effectively trap her and the other hand resting on her knee.  

Lena held her breath. 

Amelie smiled warmly at the man, not once breaking eye contact even as she reached out to take a fistful of his soaked shirt she yanked him down, smashing his face against the table, instantly cracking his nose and leaving a small splat of blood on the table before he dropped backwards in a pathetic heap on the ground.

The tavern fell silent in horror as the largest man in the room was on the floor, grasping his nose with tears spilling out the corner of his eyes with muffled cries of pain.

Amelie’s warm smile remained as she watched him squirm for a moment.

“I think you’ve overstayed your welcome” she spat, unfolding her legs she stood tall over the man who could only watch through blurred vision as she reached out and grabbed the back of his collar and hoisted him up. 

While one hand remained on his face in a futile attempt to stop the bleeding that overflowed over his fingers, he flailed about, kicking and desperately reaching up to try and grab her hand away but her grip was tight and despite his size she dragged him behind her as if he weighed nothing. 

Despite this being a completely improvised plan, Lena seemed to catch on very quickly what her intentions were and scrambled to the front door.

Amelie stopped in front of the now opened door and promptly launched the man outside like yesterday’s stew. Unfortunately it had stopped raining, but it was still amusing to watch him land hard on the muddy road and slide to a halt via slamming into the stable doors. She hadn’t planned on it, but Sir Chomp saw an opportunity and immediately began biting at the man’s hair. 

With the trash taken out, Lena closed the door and wiped her hands of the situation. 

“That,” she started, staring up at Amelie like she were the first ray of sun she had seen in months,”Was absolutely brilliant!”

What a strange team they made. 

“Gorgeous eyes?” Amelie asked, a raised brow, more amused than anything, especially at the way Lena’s face froze in surprise.

“...you...uh you heard that?” 

“I did.”

Her embarrassment didn’t last long, she shrugged and owned up to it,“Well, let’s be honest here. I’m not blind.” 

Before she could comment, the tavern finally broke out of the haze of awkward silence. 

“What the hell did you do that for?!” one man spoke up,”That idiot was suppose to kill the monster for us!” 

At this, Lena scoffed. 

“Oh I’m sorry, I couldn’t tell after the way the Huntress threw him like a sad sack of flour.” 

The tavern fell silent once again, she could feel the eyes on her, what most brushed her off as a dark stranger in the corner were now staring to see if the rumors were true. 

Eventually it was Molly who approached them, slowly with eyes full of awe and gratitude at the two of them, “You...you’re the Huntress? Who killed the sea serpent?” she asked quietly. 

“And a harpie! With a crossbow on horseback!” Lena added with pride in her voice,”Why hire a fool like that when you can have a real professional?” 

Amelie didn’t know what to say even if she wanted to. Lena did the advertising for her with her naturally magnetic personality and enthusiasm, and the townsfolk was instantly captured, completely forgetting their previous savior in favor for her and she didn’t have to say a single word.

“What say you? I think we can afford a small detour.” 

This caught her off guard, it was Lena’s heart on the line here but after such an impeccable synchronized success, she was riding on the thrill of action . She was more than ready to help this poor town. Another night wouldn’t hurt. 

 

“You have my attention.” 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you to Molly, my newest patron!


	10. Bonding

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "Let's give you more stories to tell."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warning for Body horror

“Well aren’t you a useful little squirrel.”

 

Lena couldn’t stop the silly little smile on her face. It was the closest she’s ever gotten to a compliment from her traveling companion, after she scurried up the tree as commanded and climbed across a thick branch. She had taken a seat, and then let gravity take hold as she fell backwards, hooking her knee against the bark to hold herself as she hung upside down directly above Amelie’s head.

“Live on the streets for long enough and you learn a thing or two,” she shrugged, nonchalant with her skills despite the grin on her face as she reached out just in time to grab the large net tossed up to her.

“Now tie the center of the net to that rope there with the knot I showed you earlier.”

Curling up, she sat on the branch right side up and hummed to herself as she did as she was told.

She wasn’t expecting to be taken along for the ride.

Lena advertised and praised Amelie’s skills so well the people of the small town were begging to hire her. A terrifying creature stalked their woods and tore livestock to pieces in the night, and in their desperation they called upon anyone that could wield a sword, which ended up being the very large drunkard that Amelie tossed out the door. Lena didn’t mind being the pack mule, holding yards of rope and net as Amelie dashed around town purchasing supplies for a last second hunt.

As Lena had packed it all on Cauchemar’s saddle, Amelie reached down and grabbed her by the back of her shirt, pulling her atop her horse and rode off into the night.

 

“Let’s give you more stories to tell.”

 

She couldn’t believe it. Hunting horrifying creatures was not on her list of things to do in her lifetime but as she held onto the Huntress’ waist as they rode head on into danger with weapons on their backs and adrenaline guiding them, she felt unstoppable.

“Done!”

Lena scooted back on the branch and admired her work. They had spent several minutes outside of town tying complicated knots repeatedly until Lena could do it in her sleep. Granted, it being in the middle of the forest where terrors lurked was quite the motivation to get it right the first time.

She stared down at the ground where Amelie inspected the trap.

It was a simple trip wire trap that would trigger the release of a heavy net. If Lena had blinked she would have missed just the smallest smile and look of pride in her eyes.

“You’re a quick learner,” Amélie said, nodding her head with approval on return.

“I can be useful when I wanna be!” Lena laughed, careful to not disturb the rope along the tree, she carefully climbed back down,”Mom needed all the help she could when Papa died. But she went with him when I was young so I had to le-”

The moment her feet touched the ground she pressed her lips together tight, realizing too late she had been rambling. Slowly she turned back around with a sheepish look on her face, the last thing she wanted to do now was upset her, not while Amelie felt like Lena could actually join her in a hunt. Disappointment was not an option.

“Ah...sorry didn’t mean to spill my life story on you.”

But to her surprise Amelie was unfazed, the small smile still playing on her lips,“That might be true, but I didn’t tell you to stop.”

Lena stood there, mouth agape as Amelie walked past her, continuing her inspection of the trap while she struggled to find more words to fill the void. Within a few hours, after bonding over the disposal of a disgusting human being out of the tavern they were actually _talking,_ and it wasn’t horrible.

“You may want to move,” Amélie warned casually, before hooking the rope strung taught between two trees with the top of her foot and pulling.

Lena quickly jumped out of the way as the net above her was dropped, landing flat on the ground like a sad spider web with no prey.

Amelie’s brows furrowed in thought, displeased with the results.

“Too slow, tie rocks to the ends of the net, evenly spaced.”

Lena lifted a closed fist to her chest like the soldiers she had seen as a child to their commanding officers before running off to complete the task,“Aye aye!”

It was all so exciting, although the underlying absolute horror that something was out there in the darkness possibly waiting for them. Yet Amelie didn’t seem bothered in the slightest, it was just an ordinary day of work for her but she was more alive than she had ever been.   
  
Her golden eyes scanned everything, always looking and watching, constantly aware of her surroundings, she had spent nearly an hour searching for the right pair of trees to set up her trap. Yet she was always at peace, calm and collected, and so it made Lena relax, like she had nothing to fear. At least just yet.

“Cauchemar you look excited to go for a hunt too!” she commented, her arms full of similarly sized rocks roughly the size of her fist as she passed by the sleek black horse.

He whined in response, snorting heavily and tugging against his reigns in annoyance, suddenly feeling anxious as a swift breeze brushed between the trees and past them as if he had caught a whiff of something in the distance.

“Lesson number one _cherie,_ ” Amelie called out, already finished with resetting the trip wire rope she knelt beside the net and waited for the weights. “Listen to your horse.”

Lena picked up the pace and dropped the rocks on top of the net, taking the hint that they would be tying them together on each side of the net she plopped down on the ground. It reminded her of those sewing circles she watched old women do with tea and juicy stories.

“Uh...so should we be concerned?”

“Yes and no. Animals can see and hear things we cannot” she started, taking a rock and wrapping it with hemp to connect to one corner of the web,”Cauchemar has been with me for a long time, he knows when something is near.”

“Is that why you didn’t ask for Sir Chomp to join us?”

“As much as I enjoy him and his biting habits, I don’t think he will return to you if this creature frightens him off.”

That would have been embarrassing - though riding with Amélie wasn’t completely unpleasant.

“Speaking of which...the townsfolk called this thing a...Min...o taur? Minotaur?”

Amelie fell silent for a moment, letting out a soft sigh as she continued her work but did so deep in thought before answering.

“Judging by the witness statements of what they saw in reality they are not wrong. A large lumbering man with the head of an ox but...it’s impossible.”

There was an uncertainty in her voice that made Lena’s stomach twist in anxiety.

“These creatures are only found in Greece, and the behavior is nothing like one. They are incredibly intelligent and usually used to guard temples or labyrinths but here? Every witness claims to have seen it kill recklessly, cry out in pain and move in unnatural ways....it just doesn’t make sense”

Her brows furrowed in thought, moving onto the next rock on another corner of the net.

She was a monster hunter by trade, Lena shouldn’t have been surprised by her knowledge of a creature in a different country but once again her stomach flipped flopped between anxiety of the danger and at peace being with someone who actually knew what she was doing.

“Is that why we are trying to capture it?”

“Exactly. If this is something new then I need to know what it is.”

It didn’t take long for the job to be done, soon the net had added weights, that in theory would make it drop faster and trap their prey more efficiently.

Lena jumped to her feet, wiping her dirty hands against her breeches, ready to move on to the next task.

“So...now what happens?”

“Have you ever played that game as a child? Kick a ball in between two posts?”

Lena watched as Amélie pointed to the two trees and the tripwire connecting them. It was simple, almost too simple but Amelie was confident and that was all the convincing she needed.

“Are...you going to kick it in?”

“Something like that”

Cauchemar let out a distressed whine, and the high pitched shriek from the otherwise calm and collected horse sent chills up Lena’s spine.

Amelie immediately whipped around, her eyes scanning the darkness with such precision that Lena knew it was close.

“...you can see in the dark can’t you?”

“Get in the tree. Now.”

Lena immediately scrambled up the tree, slipping twice before reaching her previous post, only given enough time to lie on her stomach across the branch and reach down to grab the net thrown to her. She nearly dropped it now with the added weight but with fear and excitement fueling her, she pulled herself up and repeated the knot and reset the trap.

Meanwhile Amelie hopped onto her loyal steed, tugging at the reigns as he stomped, huffing and snorting excitedly.

“You have thirty seconds to get this ready” she said, rifle in hand and fire in her eyes,” Whatever you do, stay in the tree unless I say otherwise.”

Lena nodded, struggling with the knot but managed a quick salute, “Aye aye cap’n!”

With a swift kick, Cauchemar whined and took off like a shot into the forest.

“Oh this is bloody fantastic” she squealed to herself,”Terrifying but bloody fantastic!”

But her hands began to sweat, her fingers tangling with the rope incorrectly her excitement faded into panic.

“Oh hell, oh hell, oooh no no no, come on now Lena you had _one_ job.”

The forest shook as a clap of thunder cracked into the sky followed by a horrific roar of pain.

 

And it was close.

 

Lena yelped in surprise at the sound, jumping out of her own skin but in doing so, the net and rope slipped from her fingers.

Hooking her legs and one arm around the branch, Lena reached out and grabbed the net with her fingers just before it was out of reach.

She could hear it behind her, the heavy breathing from the black horse, his strong legs pounding the ground as he sprinted away from something, wailing and snarling.

Lena immediately sat back up with the net and tried again.

“Ten seconds!” Amelie called out a warning.

“Working on it!”  Lena gulped, forcing herself to not turn back. Chances were that the sight of seeing her barreling towards her with a mysterious creature behind her wasn’t going to help.

As she took a deep breath and held the pieces in her hands, her mind went blank but her fingers moved accordingly, tying a beautifully perfect knot just as she was shown.

“LENA,” she warned one last time.

“ALL SET,” she screamed, scrambling to her feet and jumping back towards the trunk of the tree.

Right beneath her, Cauchemar jumped over the tripwire just as something massive and lumbering ran right into it.

The net dropped, and encasing the monster in heavy rope it screamed, flailing and scrambling to escape but only tangling itself further until it lost its footing, tripping over it’s own feet and slamming into the ground with enough momentum to roll over and slide to a pathetic stop.

It worked beautifully.

Lena clung to the tree, staying completely still just in case the creature could possibly spot her but the net only shifted in slow agonized movements, too tired from the chase to struggle against the thick rope.

Amelie reared Cauchemar back to their prize, he snorted, stomping in place and refusing to get any closer to the thing.

She seemed to have caught the hint, dismounting with her gun in her grasp and pointed at the net as she slowly approached.

Lena gulped, slowly crouching down to begin to climb down,“A...Ame-”

“Stay put,” she said, her words sharp as her eyes bore into her prey.

Lena froze in place, unable to see much other than the net continue to shift with awful cries of pain and Amelie’s expression that slowly faded into complete and utter horror.

“Uh...Ame?” she tried again and Amelie lowered her gun, unable to tear her eyes away from the thing she pointed off into the distance where they had stashed some of their equipment.

“Bring the lantern. Quickly.”

Lena immediately hopped out of the tree and ran off towards their gear, whatever had the Huntress of monsters this disturbed was nothing short of terrifying. Swiping the lantern and a small piece of flint, she quickly lit the candle within and returned to her side holding the light.

Hoping that more illumination would reveal answers but only resulted in more questions and nightmares for the rest of her days.

As Lena slowly approached she at first thought herself to have seen legs, human legs with bloody feet and torn breeches from running in the forest but as she skirted around the creature to be at Amelie’s side she realized half of his torso was covered in thin brown fur. Lifting the lantern closer, the fur continued, and where a left arm would be was instead a hoof and where shoulders and a neck would be was the head of a cow.

Lena slapped a hand over her mouth as she fought the urge to gag.

It’s eyes were dark, lost and looking at nothing as it’s mouth hung open, it’s tongue nearly green and rotting spilling out of its missing teeth. It groaned, reaching out and pushing against the net in futile hopes of escaping but it’s movements were uncoordinated and unnatural. It’s _existence_ unnatural. As if both bodies were aware of it’s horrific state and could only exist in between twitching and slowly flailing for some kind of peace.

“What...the hell...Amelie what is this?” she coughed, wrapping her arm over her nose as the stench of rotting meat struck her nose.

“Do….do you think…. _she_ did this?”

Amelie slowly shook her head, her eyes unblinking as she stared at the unholy creature before her.

Lena followed her eyes, realizing where cow met human flesh was long crude stitching, blood staining the thread and dribbled over it’s chest. Like a doll, a plaything.

“No. This is...someone else. Someone far worse,” she muttered under breath and Lena nearly missed the way her tone changed, her horror replaced with anger.

“Bring the axe.”

Lena was quick to respond, especially if it meant getting away to process what on earth she had just seen with her own eyes. Putting the lantern down, she quickly returned to their stash and swiped the large axe meant for bringing down trees.

“You didn’t ask for this.”

She stopped in her tracks, finding Amelie kneeling beside the creature.

“You didn’t deserve this” she mumbled quietly, her shoulders sagged in defeat as if she were responsible. As if she was too late to save this man.

“I will find who did this to you” she swore, her eyes flashed with a quiet fury as she brought her rifle up, placing the barrel between it’s soulless eyes,“I’m sorry.”

One last crack of thunder, Lena flinched, closing her eyes out of habit as the loud explosion of gunpowder frightened birds out of trees and rendered the forest silent. The creature stopped crying.

She quietly held out her hand, a silent signal for Lena to approach.

“Are...are you going to be alright?” Lena asked gently, placing the axe in her grasp.

Amelie didn’t answer. Stepping aside the sad creature, she lifted the axe up over her head and brought it down, severing where man met animal.

The smell nearly knocked her off her feet. Amélie stumbled back, pulling her coat lapels over her nose as a burst of air released from its chest. Lena also jumped back, pulling her shirt over her face as dark purple liquid spilled out of its body. If she didn’t know any better, she could have sworn she saw two hearts, small intestines and human eyeballs fall out of its body.

“Oh for fucks sake who the hell would do this?!” she shrieked, turning around to dry heave against a tree she held onto for support. She honestly didn’t know what she was expecting but this was not it.

“We brought the shovel right?”

Lena glanced over her shoulder just in time to see a white handkerchief being pulled out of her breast pocket and offered to her.

 

“Tie this around your face, it’s going to be a long night.”

 

* * *

 

Who would have thought that monster hunting would require this much manual labor.

 

Together the two dug a small pit around the body and set it aflame, the stench of rotting carcass now masked with burning lumber and leaves they found close by.

They worked quietly, Amelie’s eyes were lost in thought. Trying to grasp and understand it all but came up blank. Not knowing unnerved her to no end and in turn, made Lena nervous. But if there was one thing she was good at, it was being distracting.

“So...why burn it?” she asked quietly, slowly packing up and strapping their gear to Cauchemar’s saddle while Amelie watched the last of the red embers fade away. It wasn’t perfect, disfigured bones and organs still lay on the ground. She planned on burying them afterwards.

“It might come back, or it might not. Possibly cursed or not, but when in doubt, burn it”.

“Seems like a solid plan to me.”

“With experience I can assure you it’s quite a shock when prey comes back for you.”

No, she would definitely not be sleeping for a while with the image of a charred cowman in the doorway.

“Oh God...noted.”

A small smile graced Amélie’s lips but it didn’t last long, and she fell into her thoughts once again as she approached what was left of her hunt with shovel in hand.

Lena bit her lip, trying another approach, “So...um...how did I do?”

“Quite well actually,” Amélie replied over her shoulder, scooping the dirt they had dug out earlier for the pit and placing it over what was left, “Considering we brought down a monster I had no idea existed. You followed orders exactly and by some miracle didn’t throw up.”

Lena laughed nervously,“To be fair I was awfully close on several occasions.”

Amelie shrugged, casually patting the dirt atop to finish the job. With luck the bugs would eat it before any birds did, and God knows what on earth that liquid was and could do to anything too curious and hungry for it’s own good.

“Perhaps I’ll keep you around, it’s nice to have an extra hand to hold things.”

At this, Lena whipped around, her hands placed firmly on her hips with a smug grin on her face, “You offering me a job love?”

Amelie stabbed the ground with the shovel, resting her hands at the end she shot a small glare at the girl,“I am...considering it.”

“Aw am I finally warming up to ya?

She scoffed, grabbing the shovel as she returned to her horse, they were done and with a broken horn in her pouch as evidence and despite the circumstances, it was a successful hunt.

“Don’t get ahead of yourself, you were cutting it a little close with the net.”

“Alright yeah but hey for a first time that wasn’t to-”

 

Something in her chest tightened, stopping her words short.

 

“To...ba-”

 

Something within her ribcage clenched once more, the air in her lungs stolen away her vision began to blur as she struggled to breathe.

Cauchemar whined, rearing back and stepping away from her in fear as Lena dropped to her knees, clutching her chest as her insides began to twist painfully.

Amelie immediately ran to her side, sliding to the ground and catching her just before she collapsed.

“Lena what’s wrong?” she called out, shaking her lightly.

  


_Oh my._

  


Lena’s eyes widened.

 

_You’re still alive?_

 

She inhaled suddenly, as if she had been underwater and drowning she choked on her own breath.

That voice laughed, a soft amused chuckle that echoed within her mind like a cave.

 

_Then this is going to hurt._

 

Between her breasts where her heart should be, a faint glow of blue light bled through her shirt, illuminating the Huntress’ face of confusion and helplessness.

“Lena! Talk to me!” she tried once more, holding her face in her grasp to force her to look at her.

Her hand snapped upwards, grasping at Amelie’s arm as she felt her body go numb, random parts slowly disappearing as her worst fear became realized. Tears streamed down her cheeks, sliding along Amelie’s gloves as she cried.

 

“It…it’s _her_.”

 

It was as if she were back those years ago, standing before the Witch of the Wilds and offering her anything if it meant saving Emily. Watching in horror as she reached into her chest and pulled out her beating heart right before her eyes.

She knew what it felt like, to have a hand firmly gripping at her very life.

The light brightened, nearly blinding Amelie she pulled away to bring a hand up to block the light as Lena arched her back and let out a terrible cry of pain.

 

_I can feel it. Your heart racing. You can feel it too? I’m holding it in my hands. How easy would it be to just..._

 

The voice of the witch purred as she gently squeezed. Lena curled inwards, in a fetal position against the cold forest floor as she cried, gripping at her own shirt and handfuls of grass as she writhed.

 

“P-please! Stop!”

 

_I shouldn’t be surprised, such a strong heart of course you’re alive. But not for long, I have plans for this._

 

“No no no please! Let me go!”

 

_Oh darling._

 

She gasped, feeling a fingernail slowly drag across her heart.

 

_You’re mine._

 

Amelie reached out and grabbed her by the shoulder, rolling her back to face her, “Lena! Stay with me!” she commanded as she ripped open her small vest slipped a small dagger from her boot to slice open her shirt at the chest.

Before her was an unexplainable source of light, burning brightly from beneath her skin.

“ _Mon dieu_ what did she do to you?”  

 

_Oh. Is someone there? Are they watching you? Helpless as you suffer?_

 

“N-no don’t....she…” her words cut short as she yelped, feeling another tight squeeze.

Amelie paused a moment, catching her eyes with a look of realization.

“Lena, can she hear me?”

She could feel it, the hesitation and pause as the Witch realized-

 

_...I know that voice._

 

Lena quickly nodded.

Amelie dropped her dagger in favor of pinning Lena to the ground, holding her down with both hands against her shoulder.

 

“Angela.”

 

The witch gasped.

 

_No. Impossible._

 

Amelie’s face curled into a snarl as she stared directly into the light as if she were speaking to her face to face. Lena couldn’t breathe, unsure of what to be more afraid of, the witch holding her heart or the way Amelie eyes burned with untamed fury.

 

“I’m coming for you” she hissed, her fangs elongating and eyes deepening into a crimson color.

 

 

“Let. Her. Go.”

 

 

In an instant the light ceased to be.

 

The hands around her heart disappeared and the world went dark.

 


	11. Golden Eyes

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Don't let her float away

_“I’m coming for you.”_

 

She knew that voice.

Though the venom dripping through it made it almost unrecognizable.

 

_“Let. Her. Go”_

 

For a moment she almost did, almost opened her hands and let the object in her grasp drop, but instead opted to cut the connection at the last second.

The spell was complete anyway.

What was once an ordinary heart, fleshy and red, still pumping as though still in it’s owners chest was now crystallized. Light blue glass covered the delicate thing in multiple layers, protecting it’s core with spikes of crystal jutting out in random sizes and places.

She didn’t think she would be using it so soon but she had planned for just such an occasion.Taking the heart of the desperate girl, she had originally thought to sell it off to the nearest alchemist or use it for a simple spell but this?

This simple organ she tore out from that girl’s chest emanated with such powerful energy of purity and strength that she simply couldn’t just lock it away.

And here she was, deep within the Dragon’s lair to retrieve it.  

“Something has you perturbed”

Speaking of which.

Said Dragon watched on, keeping to herself with her eyes set at the back of the witch’s head.

“You could say that.”

She wasn’t expecting the girl to still be alive, a few weeks maybe - but it had been a few years. But as she said, she wasn’t surprised considering the strength of the heart of course it’s owner would be just as stubborn.

Amelie however.

That was not to be expected at all.

“Just a minor setback,” she shrugged, turning on her heel from the small pedestal and taking the blue crystal with her.

When she last saw Amelie she was a broken woman, barely able to speak for the sins she had committed.

It would appear she finally grew into her fangs and was intent on revenge. A minor setback that could potentially be much worse.

 

A pity.

She was so beautiful, with her wide naive eyes.  

 

“Regardless, I have what I came for. Your cooperation is much appreciated,” she smiled sweetly, then shifted her attention to a dark corner of the lair, ”My dear would you kindly hold this? Not to worry, it is fully encased and will not break but still do be careful.”

Upon her command a figure standing statue like in the shadows emerged, it’s metal plated armor clinking with every calculated step, stiff and unnatural but otherwise obeyed like a good knight.

At least it would appear to be as such, save for the soft purple light that seeped out of the seams and slots in between the armor and grated helm.

She carefully set the crystal into her knights awaiting hand and sighed in relief. That was one task done for the evening, now to pay the good doctor a visit.

“Thank you again old friend...but...Would it be too much to ask for another favor?”

The Dragon huffed, dark smoke puffing out of her nostrils that flared in annoyance,“I do believe the deal was that I protect your precious meat in exchange for some peace and quiet.”

The Witch stared at her for a moment, honestly surprised, not that she knew what she wanted, but that she declined.

“Are you not angry with them?” she asked with frustration and confusion evident in her eyes and voice,”Those murderers beneath your mountain? They killed your kind for sport! How do you not seek justice?”

“My brothers and sisters did the same, burning down villages, ruining countless lives, killing thousands. Why should I judge humans for seeking justice?” she paused, staring down the witch with golden slitted eyes,“You on the other hand, you seek revenge.”

Angela didn’t come here for a lecture.

She didn’t need to explain herself.

The people of Adlersbrunn would deserve what was coming to them after what they did to her.

“I’m sorry I won’t be seeing you when the time comes.”

The Dragon chuckled at the disdain in her voice, her polite visage not as effective here.

“I’m sure you’ll make do without me.”

“May I at least have your word to not interfere? I’d hate to kill you” The Witch smiled oh so sweetly.

The Dragon just laughed, waving her off, “I have no interest in the chaos you seek so passionately.”

“Very well then, thank you.”

Raising her hand, she summoned her broom to her grasp as she began the slow trek back out of the lair and down the mountain with her faithful knight close behind.

“Should I be expecting company?”

The Witch would have laughed, no one was foolish or brave enough, and yet that perfectly described the girl who had made a deal with her in the first place.

“I think you of all people should know the answer, I’d ask you to kill them but I feel like you wouldn’t just to spite me.”

The Dragon smiled, tilting her head curiously as she watched the Witch take her leave.

“That woman knew your name.”

The Witch froze mid step.

“Dare I ask why you looked as though you’ve seen a ghost?”

 

Angela turned around and kept her smile on, hiding her fear with a poisonous grin,“Because I believe I did.”   

 

* * *

 

“...ena….Lena? Lena wake up!”

 

“...no….a few more minutes…” Lena groaned, blindly waving her hand to intercept the poking against her cheek.

A sharp smack across her face was quick to snap Lena into consciousness, followed by a long whine of pain. She blinked past the haze of a deep sleep and held her cheek as it pulsed from the contact.

Sitting on the bed beside her was Amelie, staring down at her less than amused.

“Oh...fucking hell what was that fo-”

Her words were cut short as Amelie reached out and grasped her face, her hands free of gloves were cold against her warm skin that brought an immediate chill along her spine. She held her there, keeping Lena’s face in place, looking straight at her and nowhere else.

“Name five things you see.”

Lena blinked in confusion.

“Uh...?”

Amelie slowly nodded, enunciating every word slowly to ensure Lena understood, “I need you to look at me, and name five things you can see.”

Something about her tone set alarms in her mind and a terrible twist in her stomach, Lena struggled to move out of her tight grip but it was then she realized something was in fact terribly wrong as everything from the waist down was completely numb.

Her eyes widened in realization.

“....A...Amelie….” she whimpered, trying to send signals to her feet, to move her legs to kick herself out of this tight grasp, but nothing happened.

“Lena, focus. Name fiv-”

“Amelie I can’t feel my legs…” she panicked, her vision blurring as hot tears began to spill from the corner of her eyes. Her hands snapped up, grasping Amelie by the wrists, not to push away but to have something to hold onto.

”Christ are….are they gone? Amelie please! Let me see!”

“Listen to me!”  

Lena froze, her sharp voice and strong tone keeping her here, from letting her fear make her float away.

“You are going to be fine” she said, determination in her eyes that bore into hers as if she could transfer such strength to Lena,”Name five things you can see and breathe in between each one. Do you understand?”

Lena whimpered, her grip on Amelie’s arms tightening as she nodded meekly.

“...ok….ok...I see…” she sniffed, glancing around what little she could see of the room, which brought in another realization,”Your cape...it’s on a window...are….are we back in town?”

“Yes, good girl. Keep going.”

Lena nodded, continuing to look around,”It’s….it’s not a bad room at least, the walls aren’t rotted wood for once.”

“I never realized you had standards, cherie.”

She smiled, finally cracking through her fear she giggled.

“Come now, three more.”

Taking a deep breath, Lena closed her eyes for a moment, collecting her thoughts before continuing her grounding techniques. But as she opened them, she came to a situation where all she could see was Amelie’s determined face.

“You...have a birthmark...over your lip...I never noticed it before” she mumbled quietly, her eyes resting on a small dot on her skin.

Amelie blinked back in surprise, a moment of regret flashing over her eyes as Lena began scanning her face.

“Christ you are pale, I mean...I knew that but...God’s are you alright?”

“I’m dead cherie,” Amelie sighed, rolling her eyes,”One more, come on we don’t have all day.”

Amelie now looked away, feeling awkward under Lena’s intense gaze, even more so as she began to smile.

“You have golden eyes,” Lena whispered, almost in awe.

She knew she had gold eyes, it was a defining feature many stories circulated about her. But being this closed, seeing them right in front of her. There wasn’t a gold coin in her life that shone this bright.

If she didn’t know any better, Amelie was blushing. A faint tinge of color bloomed along her cheeks as she removed her hands away from Lena’s face.

“...I think you’re fine now,” she mumbled, glancing down at the pair of legs right where they should be, connected to her hips and flat on the bed.  

“Oh…” Lena gulped, pushing herself to sit up she immediately looking away as her ears burned,”I uh...th...thank you.”

“I need to know what happened last night.”

Back to business as usual, Amelie sat back and watched as Lena reached out and rubbed her hands along her knees, rotating her ankle to ensure everything was as it should.  She quickly fell still as memories of the previous night flashed across her mind, the saccharine voice teasing as she squeezed her heart in her grasp, the light emanating from her chest with dark magic, and the look of pure fury in Amelie’s eyes as she demanded the witch set her free.

Her chest still felt tight.

“I...felt it...I felt her hand wrap around my heart...God, she was laughing, poking and prodding and I just…” she shuddered, curling up with her legs against her chest she groaned,”God I feel sick...”

Amelie said nothing, just quietly listening as Lena held her warm fist to her chest, feeling her clammy hands against her own skin and...then a realization fell upon her.

Her head snapped up with eyes wide in terror,“I...can’t feel it.”

Amelie’s brow furrowed,“What do you mean you can’t feel it?”

“I’ve...been following the sound of my own heart beat to locate it and now I can’t…” she paused, slowly looking up at Amelie, her face fell also into realization,”….oh fucking hell she took it….God...fucking damnit she took it and now I have no idea where it is!”

“More of a reason to get moving.”

The whiplash of her utter calm demeanor stunned Lena into silence.

“Gather yourself together, we’re going after the Dragon tonight, if we kill it, we’ll get her attention and find out for ourselves what she did with it and I ne-”

Amelie’s train of thought was interrupted as she tried to stand and start acting on her plans, but Lena’s tight grip on her wrist kept her from going any further.

She slowly looked down at the offending hand, then back to Lena, who looked just as surprised at her own actions.

“...what are you doing?”

Lena immediately let go, her hand shaking uncontrollably without something to keep her steady, “O-oh! Sorry….sorry I was...just…um…” she gulped, clutching a fist full of her shirt in hopes of stopping her anxious jitters.

Her head dipped lower between her shoulders as she looked away, anywhere else but Amelie’s eyes.

“Y-yeah...let’s….let’s go” she mumbled quietly, waiting for Amelie to grab her things and begin her evening ritual of loading up before slowly unfurling and getting out of bed.

They continued as normal, packing their things, paying the innkeeper and returning the key, the unnatural part was Lena’s silence.

She looked pale, lost, her eyes cast downwards and avoiding anyone who approached, the loudness of the tavern as they passed by making her flinch and walk faster towards the stables. There was no doubt if anyone caught sight of her they would want a good story, especially with how she openly advertised the Huntress and her skills.

But now, those who saw her looked on with pity. Surely she saw something truly horrific.

At some point Amelie placed her things before the small stable doors, she may have mentioned something about going into town to buy more supplies but Lena didn’t hear it. She nodded solemnly, out of habit only recognizing the tone of command and proceeded to take the bags into the stable with her.

“...hey Cauchemar…” she mumbled.

The black horse snorted, nudging his face against her shoulder in a quiet request for pets.

She only offered him a weak smile and a small pat on the nose.

He blinked back in confusion, watching her as she trudged over to were his saddle was placed and grabbed it mechanically.

Cauchemar patiently waited until he was properly strapped in though it took twice as long at the pace she was going at.

She remained quiet, her eyes staring off into the distance as she did the same for Sir Chomp, and even he looked confused at this drastic change in behavior.

Eventually Cauchemar snorted louder, moving away from her as she placed bags and weapons along his saddle, breaking her out of her trancelike state and earning her attention.

“...hey...could you….please behave today?” she asked gently, a simple request with no assertion behind it.

Cauchemar turned his head to stare at her, whining slightly but staying still to let her finish as she asked.

“...thanks friend…” she sighed, walking back towards his face and finally giving him a long stroke along his neck.

He shook his head, his mane waving wildly, as he pressed his nose against her chest, nearly knocking her over. He was there when it happened, he saw her collapse, saw her cry out in pain and the strange blue light from her chest. He knew something was wrong.

She seemed to have caught onto the hint, gently stroking his nose as he continued to press against her.

“I’m ok...I just…” her words trailed off, unsure of what to say or how to convey everything that had happened in just a day.

Before she was having a wonderful time, albeit terrifying but in an exciting way. Riding alongside the legendary Huntress and aid her in successfully capturing and killing a creature never before seen and now never to harm anyone ever again. It was everything she had no idea she ever wanted.

But then it was ruined, her memories of her first hunt were now tainted with the Witch’s hand in her chest.

She shuddered at the memory, there was no other feeling of complete violation than just that. At any moment the Witch could run a finger along her heartstrings and instantly bring Lena to her knees - and worst of all, she would just _laugh_.

There was nothing she could do but let the Witch have her way with her like a sad doll.

“Would you mind...terribly if I could hug you?”

Whether or not he understood her wasn’t the issue, but she asked anyway, her thumbs fiddling nervous as she continued to mumble to her only friend who happened to be a horse.

“I don’t want to do anything without your permission I just…really need….something, anything...” she gulped hard as her eyes began to sting,”Please?”

Cauchemar whined gently, nudging her shoulder with his long nose.

As far as she could tell it wasn’t a rejection, she slowly took a step forward, cautiously bringing her arms upwards to encircle them around his neck. She waited, watching for any hint of him feeling uncomfortable but there was nothing. He allowed it and snorted over her shoulder as she hugged him tight, her head thumping forward against his neck and on his black mane.

“Thank you...” she mumbled against him, squeezing but not uncomfortably so, just to feel some kind of embrace. Maybe she was imagining it, a strong heart thundering inside of him but it was comforting even for a small moment.

Her chest tightened, not because of any curse though it could have been, she thought it was for a moment until her eyes stung with tears, and her lungs choked as she fought back a sob.

 

She was terrified.

 

Her selfish act for happiness had cost her a nightmare to live through and there was nothing she could do about it.

Lena eventually let go of Cauchemar, frantically rubbing the base of his neck with her arm realizing she had spilt tears all over him. She mumbled apologies over and over again, even as he appeared to be clean to stepped away, leaning back against a wood pillar and continued to apologize.

She wasn’t sure to who or why. At first to the black steed though he looked on with worry, maybe to herself, maybe to the Huntress for being useless and a weight for her to carry.

Lena slowly slid down to the ground, wrapping her arms around her legs, mumbling apologies to everyone and wept.

Her shoulders shook violently as she curled in tightly and sobbed uncontrollably, her hand buried in her messy brown hair, clutching, pulling trying to feel like something was real and keeping her in place. Snot and hot tears stained her breeches, it wouldn’t be the worst thing to do so, she didn’t care anyway.

 

“Lena.”

Her heart would have stopped right then and there had it been in her chest.

Lena uncurled and snapped to look up where sure enough the Huntress stood tall over the small stable door.

She quickly scrambled up to feet, wiping her face on her sleeve and collar of her shirt to regain her composure.

“I’m sorry!” she whimpered, her voice still hoarse from keeping her sobs quiet,”Fuck I’m...fine...God’s I’m so sorry I’ll just…”

Amelie stayed quiet as Lena struggled to wipe her tears, but instead opted to leave, turning on her heel she made quick work of grabbing her things.

“I-I’m almost done! I’m sorry...we...need to leave s-soon I’ll just-”

“Lena are you sure you’re alright?”

She paused, holding her bed roll to the back of the saddle for a moment before continuing in a much less frantic manner.

“Of course not, but I don’t have a choice do I?” she offered a sad laugh.

Behind her, Amelie entered the stable, quietly watching her for a long moment in thought before humming to herself.

“Perhaps you should stay and rest.”

Lena whipped around with wide eyes, finding Amelie with her arms crossed and decision already made,“What? No we’re so close!”

“You’re no good to me as a mess like this.”

“You don’t know where to go!”

“The Mountain is right there, I know how dragon lairs work.”

“I’m fine!”

“No, you clearly are not,” Amelie sighed, shaking her head in pity which in turn made Lena’s stomach churn with rage. She turned her back on Lena, ready to hop on her horse and begin a new hunt,”Unpack your things and go back to the tavern, I’ll be bac-”

“You can’t just leave me here!” Lena screamed, stomping across the stable, not ready to give up the fight just yet.

“I’ve come too far to just-”

Amelie sighed, turning back around however just in time to catch Lena as she let out a short yelp and tripped over, landing straight into her.

Lena clutched her arm and shoulder, whimpering pathetically as she tried to pull herself up only to fall again. This time Amelie grabbed her by the arms, hoisting her up carefully to set her on one leg, as her left leg was gone.

“Fucking...hell….”Lena hissed under her breath, holding onto her tight as she looked down between them, a blank space of where her left leg, up to her waist was completely gone, no warning or flickering, feeling of numbness; this time, it just disappeared.

”God...damnit goddamnit Amelie please, _please_ let me go with you,” she begged, thumping her head against her shoulder, tears slipping down her cheek and quietly dripping along the breast of her black coat.

”Let me...do something, I-I can...carry your things, I’ll be bait I don’t care just…” she swallowed hard,”...please don’t leave me alone.”

Lena wasn’t sure what she was expecting, there was the possibility of being left there as she seemed very intent on doing so or maybe even a slight reconsideration.

But as she felt a pair of strong confident arms wrap around her small body, it was an outcome she was no prepared for.

“Alright,” Amelie mumbled quietly against her ear, pulling her into a tight embrace,”You may come, but only if you take your time recovering first.”

Lena could only nod slowly, her eyes slipping shut as the comfort of an embrace washed over her. How long had it been since she had a simple hug from another person?

“I have a new plan, if you’re not opposed,” Amelie’s tone was surprisingly gentle, and Lena made a short hiccup of approval.

“ _We_ are going to hike this mountain and then find this dragon. _We_ are going to kill it, gain the witch’s attention and find her. I will let you watch as I rip open her ribcage and tear out her heart. You will get yours back, and then _we_ will turn back and ride east, where the witnesses claimed to have seen where our patchwork monstrosity came from and find out who is responsible.”

Lena visibly stiffened, at first causing worry Amelie loosened her grip just enough to allow Lena enough room to lift her head and stare up at the Huntress with eyes wide and full of shock.

“You...want to…keep me?”

She didn’t mean to say it like this, sound so overwhelmed with emotion at the very idea of someone wanting what she could only describe as damaged goods.

Amelie shrugged.

“I do believe Cauchemar would be rather upset if I didn’t.” Behind her he seemed to have responded, snorting with his ears perked up upon being mentioned,”...Does this plan seem acceptable?”

Lena stepped back, out of her arms and only stared at her stupidly.

“You’re...serious then? After all this...you...want me to ride with you?”

Amelie sighed, rolling her eyes but a small smile graced her features, pleased with this reaction and her decision,“Do you want me to repeat myself? I thought we were having a moment.”

Finally, Lena was at a complete loss for words, struggling to comprehend the incredible turn around this would have on her life she hardly realized her leg had returned.

“I...just...you…-”

“Miss Lena! Huntress! I’m terribly sorry this took so long.”

Lena had both of her hands buried in her hair by the time Molly approached the stables, she panted lightly, opening the door to the stable with her foot as her hands were full.

“I have your shirt!” she smiled bright, holding up Lena’s shirt with beautiful cross stitches along the center where Amelie had sliced it last night.

Lena’s mouth hung open, looking down at herself to barely realize just now that she wasn’t wearing her usually baggy peasant shirt but a beautiful crisp and white blouse, identical to Amelie’s.

“You...what...”

“...I’m not much of a seamstress” Amelie mumbled, almost embarrassed,”Apologies for cutting it.”

“And here is the bread! Fresh out the oven just now!”

As if she somehow had more tears to shed, Lena began to cry as Molly held out bundle, covered in a towel in which she opened to reveal several bread rolls, steaming in warmth slathered in butter and garlic.

Amelie pressed her lips together tight, casually tugging on the lapel of her coat to dip her nose in to block out the strong scent.

“Molly,” Lena started, her eyes locked onto the woman as she half ran over to her,”You’re the most beautiful human being on this god forsaken land. Thank you”

Taking the shirt, Lena quietly mumbled soft awe as she admired the beautiful stitching, she hardly noticed the damage over the black thread of crosses and vines.

Then placing it over her shoulder she carefully took the the bundle of perfection and immediately shoved one into her mouth.

It was soft and warm and delicious.

Lena didn’t stand a chance and began sobbing with bread in her mouth.

“Is….is she goin t’ be alright?” Molly squeaked in confusion as Lena pulled her into a tight embrace, crying softly with complete and utter joy.  

“It’s been an emotional day to say the least.”

It took a moment to pry Lena off of the woman, but soon they were back on track, and with bread in her mouth and a pep in her step, Lena continued to prep their horses for another ride.

“Do you think perhaps you can come back soon? We’d love to hear your stories!”

Lena hopped up onto her horse, quickly swallowing the last bite of her roll she grinned down at the woman but before she could reply, Cauchemar whined as he trotted over to her with Amelie.

“She will have plenty more stories to tell and then some when we return” she paused, smiling at Lena, relieved to see her back to normal,”Am I right, cherie?”

Lena really needed to stop crying today, biting her lip she nodded,”R-right!” she squeaked,”We’ll be back before you know it!”

 


	12. Alliances

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Meanwhile somewhere in Adlersbrunn....

“Didja give er the shirt? Did she like it?!”

Molly laughed, shaking her head and she returned behind the counter to join her fellow tavern maid, a smaller woman with glasses too big for her face.

“Specs you silly little fool of course she did! You’re a master with the needle!”

She grinned, blushing lightly as she quickly cleaned a wooden mug just to fill up again with ale.

“I leave you alone for one day! My one day off and you get harassed by that idiot and the Huntress shows up. THE Huntress? Of course I would miss something as wild as that!” she huffed, shooting a quick glare at the woman as she retreated back into the kitchen.

“Well it sounded like they would be back...maybe?” Molly shrugged, speaking through the window in the wall separating the bar from her ovens.

“Didja offer ‘em your bread?”

“I did...she started crying.”

Specs laughed, reaching over the bar to offer the mugs to a serving girl who picked it up for another customer,“See? That was my reaction when I had it! I’m sure they’ll be back!”

Molly nodded, puffing out her chest she let out a long sigh and began working.

“Til then we have an incoming crowd of visitors!” Specs called out over her shoulder, hooking three mugs in her grasp, filling them all up with practiced grace.

“From Adlersbrunn again?”

“Aye.”

Molly sighed, her hands worked the dough but her mind was elsewhere, where overnight they had to turn away entire families coming from over the mountain. All with similar stories of horror and mysterious they deemed too dangerous and foreboding to stay.

“...what in the devil is going on over there?”

 

* * *

 

“Doing so good! Doing so well! Look at you my beautiful boooooy~”

The Witch sat on her broom, quietly observing from the cracked and rotted ceiling, her crooked hat brushing along the rafters as she placed her chin on her fist.

The stench was vile, the doctor’s barrels containing pieces of human flesh had tripled since her last visit, overflowing with ice and pale limbs now with the added collection of animal parts. The scent had struck her nose as soon as she entered, but it was merely a mild annoyance; The Witch had seen her fair share of meddling in death. Even then she couldn’t help but think that this was slightly overdoing it.

She glanced upwards slightly from what she assumed to be his research area towards the other half of the lab which was was surprising pristine, machinery hummed with a dull  monotonous growl as the scrawny man continued to sing to himself, skipping from one table to another to pour a thick green liquid into clear bags with long tubes. Finishing with one, he spun around with delight before hooking the bag onto a thin pole, then carefully taking the long tube, slowly letting gravity take hold as the liquid began to flow through the tube then jabbed the pointed end into his newest project.

The madman dropped down to his knees, grasping the side of the table as he pressed his nose right on top of the cold metal slab his creation lay on, his eyes just inches from it’s arm as he waited, unblinking and unmoving.

The green liquid slowly traveled from the bag through the tube and into the body until finally the creation’s arm began to take on a slight greenish hue. Like a drop of blood in water, the color swirled underneath the skin, spreading as it took hold and the skin took on a sickly light green colour.

Jamison laughed, jumping up and down like an excited child and ran back to his researching area where a collection of twenty other green bags were all ready on their own poles.

While he quickly set them all around the body, injecting it with tubes of green liquid the Witch quietly lowered herself, bringing herself just slightly closer to get a better look at this so called ultimate creation.

He...it? There was barely any recognizable traces of what was once a man but it was massive, at least seven feet tall and easily large enough to possibly dwarf the tiny doctor four time over. Large stitches crisscrossed along it’s arms and neck, connecting pieces that were never meant to be together. How many humans made up this creature? Was it even entirely human? She could have sworn the massive patchwork of skin sewn onto it’s large stomach was probably pig skin as it took a moment longer to change color that the rest of it. Her suspicions were confirmed as the face of a pig was, in fact sewn onto the creatures face, its eyes hollowed and empty. Several tubes were inserted into its head and face, turning the tongue that hung out of its gaping maw pale green.

The Witch bit back a gag. Was this to be her answer for vengeance? This wild madman and his disgusting patchwork beast of a doll?

_Beggars can’t be choosers._

“My my, what a creation you have here,” she called out gently, floating downwards until she hovered over the monster. Now was probably the best time to interrupt while he was in a good mood.  

Jamison yelped slightly, flinching back his eyes scanned upwards for the source, this time not as dramatic as her last appearance but still surprised at the unexpected company. But his eyes lit up upon seeing her face, wide and full of wonder. She was very easily the first person to look upon his work with the respect and curiosity it deserved.

“Why thank you! Isn’t he beautiful?” he giggled, draping his arms over the creature like a loving father.

“You’ve been rather busy haven’t you?” she crossed her legs, offering him a smile,”It’s only been a few days since I last saw you.”

He laughed, clapping his hands excitedly. Judging back the red under layer in his eyes and dark heavy bags he clearly had not slept in days, yet that did little to dull his enthusiasm.

“Did you enjoy my Minotaur? I’ve always been fascinated by Grecian mythos! _Such_ a shame we don’t get them here. Perhaps I should build a centaur next! I think everyone could use a little culture these days!”

She had heard plenty about…. _that_.

She had been genuinely amused at the horrific tales the people of that town retold, leaving those who saw it with their own eyes scared for life but it had felt messy. Roughly stitched together and random parts thrown in just for the sake of seeing if it was possible. Regardless, his test run worked perfectly and now he was ready for the real thing.

But she gave him the benefit of the doubt, perhaps this was just a result of being under a time restraint. He had only days before the Lord promptly kicked him out, though judging by the way many people were leaving en masse it may be sooner.

Once again, she put on a polite smile.

“I’m sure that would be quite lovely, however I must admit I am here on business...Do you still reject my offer? I can help you.”

She fought the urge to groan as he stood up, stomping his foot like a child and crossing his arms over his chest,“Have you not seen all of the progress I’ve made? All on my own!”

“Oh yes, and I am quite impressed. It’s incredible how many bodies you can dig up in a single night.”

He flashed a big toothy grin up at her, from borderline tantrum to pride in a second “I’ve had quite the practice! Ten bodies if I’m quiet about it!”

This time she sighed, trying a softer approach,“Jamison I must protest, please allow me to help.”

Still, he shook his head over dramatically like a wet dog, “I’m doing well on my own thank you very much!”

She didn’t want to do this, her last resort so soon, but she was running out of time and she needed to be closer for it all to come together.

Floating gently off towards his tables and desks covered in papers she brought a hand upwards as a soft purple light glowed around her fingers.  

“Then...perhaps would you allow me to join you? You seek revenge. To hurt the Lord in his arrogance of denying you?”

Jamison stepped back, the last time she showed off her magical prowess his barrels of body parts came to life, he nodded stupidly and kept his eyes wide in expectation, in fear and excitement.

Purple light matching the magic emanating from her hand appeared behind her, somewhere in the shadows of the lab the light creating a silhouette of a human figure, spilling out of joints and a grated face plate.

Heavy metallic footsteps echoed throughout the lab as the Witch made a small ‘come here’ motion with her finger.

Jamison's jaw dropped as the figure came into the light, a tall knight in a full suit armor, cloaked with a tattered blue cape and large sword strapped to it’s belt with a very recognizable falcon emblazoned at it’s chest.

“Is….Is that…”

The Witch smiled, watching her own creation stop right beside her, tall and perfect,“The Lord’s precious daughter. Yes.”

“She...died in the war” he stammered, scrambling over and nearly tripping on his own machinery and tubes to approach,”...They couldn’t find her body, or her mother. They said the enemy took them away as they were surrendering….the Lord tore them apart searching for them, even the slightest trace of their bodies but...nothing...”

Of course he couldn’t find her, the Witch had taken the bloodied knight from the battlefield the moment she hit the floor.

She allowed him to get closer.

He ran his fingers along her armor, still scarred from battle, still blackened by fire, He couldn’t believe it himself even as he saw her right in front of him, but there it was just as the stories said; ten arrows to the chest and there were the punctures through the metal where the falcon still sat proud. With shaky hands he reached up and opened the face plate upwards.

There she was, her eyes hollowed with purple light that cracked at the edges like a fractured doll, skin sallow, but otherwise was perfectly pristine. Her beautiful black hair had even been combed and pulled back for her helmet, and the signature tattoo was still etched into her skin, a small piece of her home country she and her mother had come from.

Her body was wiped down and treated for wounds as if she were alive the day the Witch found her. Which proved to be difficult, pulling out all of those arrowheads out of her body was a chore in itself. The problem with heading into battle with recognizable armor, everyone knew where to aim.  

“Think of it Jamison” she started, sitting at the edge of her broom as she casually floated beside him as he continued his inspection,” Your beautiful creature, walking alongside the great knight Amari towards the castle and why stop there? What about the hundreds of other lost souls who died under his watch? All marching behind them to take seige?”

He fell quiet, staring at the knight in awe. He knew the stories. Everyone did.

Lord of Adlersbrunn tore apart his enemies just to find her.

He loved her as if she were truly his.

To see her march against him would be more than just a blow to his pride.

“My offer still stands to aid you, but until then let me stand beside you.”

 

“Why?”

 

He asked, so serious and sincere that it nearly threw her off.

“Why are you doing this? Why are you so eager to help me?” his eyes narrowed dangerously at her,  “What has he done to you?”

Honestly she was surprised he didn’t ask sooner.

She shrugged, leaning back as her broom hovered upwards above her knight’s head, gently placing the helmet’s faceplate back into place as she went.

“You’re the third doctor to be in this city under his rule” she started, leaning forward to place her chin over her fist she cocked her to the side as she asked,“Do you know what happened to the last two?”

“The….last one was his wife, Ana Amari who died in the war”

She nodded,“Correct, and before that?”

He opened his mouth to answer, of course he knew, his first week into this terrible place every patient made sure to let him know what happened to the last ones in his shoes. Whether for pleasant commentary or as a warning he couldn’t tell. But as the answer came to mind unbidden, everything clicked into place and he understood.

He looked up at the witch with wide eyes who smiled knowingly.

“...the woman was...burned at the stake...for suspicion of being a witch.”

Her hand waved over her face, revealing her true form.

Jamison backed away as clear skin fell off in flakes, sickly black and red charred flesh replacing half of her face, diagonally from her hairline to her jawline and along her neck with bloody eyes and spots of blonde hair missing or burned away.

“I have done terrible things in my past Dr. Junkenstein,” she started, bringing her hand back upwards over her face and it was gone. Back to her beautiful blue eyed self and soft rosy cheeks,”I tried to make amends, try to help where I could and what do they do to show their gratitude?”

The entire town had been there, watching the flames eat at her skin chanting and screaming at her for death to take her until an explosion of fire and light had caused everyone to scatter like roaches seeking the dark. Those that remained, looked upon the pyre as the light disappeared and with it, the witch’s body.

“I mean...they were right but still...I was rather offended,” she shrugged, hovering down until she could rest her arms on the shoulders of her knight, placing her chin atop,“You’re just like me, doing our jobs well but given grief over our personal lives.”  

“What we do with dead bodies on our own time is no ones business!” he huffed, nodding in agreement at the injustice.

“I’m glad you agree” she smiled sweetly, her fingers clenching at the blue cape along her knight’s shoulders away from his gaze.

“Will you allow me to join you?” she tried once more in a softer tone,

Looking back at his creature, noting how only a third of the liquid had made it into the creation, he had time to kill.

“What would you have me do?”

“You said you can dig up ten bodies in an evening?”

He nodded excitedly.

“What about reburying them? Elsewhere?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you to my patreons Molly and Specs! Thank you for your support!


	13. Dragonsbreath

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The fight they had been waiting for.

“What were the chances of this nifty cave being here?” Lena grinned, wiping her hands on her breeches as she finished her work.

They had finally made it.

They had nearly killed each other in the process, but they finally made it to the northern mountains. Though her heart was no longer within the mountain it was their strongest lead to finding it and the one responsible for this mess in the first place.

Down a hill, they found a small cave at the base of the mountain when searching for a place to tie up the horses. Upon closer inspection it appeared to be an abandoned camp, a pile of ashes and a circle of stone where a fire once was and convenient low branches on a tree heavy with leaves to conceal and tie their horses to with plenty of grass to nibble on.

Amélie hummed. “Dragons were hunted for sport, this was probably someone’s camp before continuing north. Many dragons lived here once. Not so much any more.”

“Well, just our luck innit?”

Amelie glanced up from strapping her rifle to her back, finding Lena standing with a smile, stroking Cauchemar’s neck as she offered him a treat. She was _going_ to offer Sir Chomp one, but he seemed intent on eating the bush in front of him.

“You’re in a cheerful mood despite being moments away from walking into a dragon’s lair.”

At this Lena laughed, wiping her hand on her vest as he finished drooling all over it, “Yes well, we all cope in our own ways right?”

Amelie probably could hear it now, the nervousness in Lena’s voice.

“Is that why you put all the treats out for them?” Amelie nodded off towards the convenient pile of carrots and apples that lay far away enough to not be devoured immediately, but easily accessible were there an emergency.

“Look to be perfectly honest, I’m not entirely sure if we’ll be back so…” Lena sighed, trailing off her a moment but brightening back up quickly,”But I mean just in case we do I have a bottle of red wine and ale and a couple more garlic rolls for me if we come back so...you know, covering all bases just in case.”

Amelie shook her head, reaching into her saddlebags and pulling out a hand crossbow and a small quiver of bolts.

“You’re going to be fine,” she said, approaching her with both items,”Now come cherie, we have a dragon to hunt”

Lena blinked for a moment, staring at the set for a moment before reluctantly taking them. This was her life now, when this was all over she would be a monster hunter alongside the Huntress herself.

“I uh, how do I…?” her words trailed away as she squeaked in surprise, she had been too busy staring at the smooth polished finish of the crossbow, and so failed to notice that Amelie had taken the quiver from her grasp and wrapped her arms around her waist to strap it to her belt - only to pause, realizing that Lena did not actually have a belt but an old hemp rope was keeping her breeches from falling.

“If we make it out alive, I’m buying you new clothes,” Amelie said, pausing a moment before adding,”Also a bath.”

Lena pouted, shooting a small glare at the vampire as she turned on her heel to retrieve a spare black leather belt from her saddlebags,”I’m holding you to that,” she mumbled, though she did lift her arm and quickly sniff herself.

“Hmm...slacks? No maybe new breeches, and new shoes...not boots, I’ll need you to climb well…” Amelie mumbled under her breath, heavy in thought as she tried again, with a belt slipped into the quiver she strapped it around Lena’s waist who lifted her arms to give her enough room to do so and watched how she looped the tail into itself after buckling.

Satisfied with her work, Amelie stepped back and took a good look at her companion. She was awkward, lanky and was definitely holding the crossbow backwards but it would be a work in progress and a test of patience. But that was alright. She had all the time in the world.  

“You said I was in a good mood despite walking into a dragon’s lair…” Lena mumbled as Amelie stepped forward to correct her grip on the crossbow,”...you said you’ve never hunted one before why are you feeling so confident?”

“The same reason I’m always confident when walking in the dark” Amelie smiled, flashing her canines,”I have the element of surprise on my side.”

Lena opened her mouth to protest but she had a point, those that lurked in the dark wouldn’t expect one of their own to hunt _them_.

Amelie took the crossbow from her grasp, and slipped a single bolt out from the quiver on her hip for a quick demonstration.

“Load it like so.”

Lena watched unblinking as Amelie lifted a lever along the top of the crossbow to grab the string back until it was taut and locked in place. The bolt sat flush in the thin groove in the middle, a sleek yet deadly shine gracing the wood.

“Aim and pull the trigger.”

Amelie lifted the weapon with one arm extended and aimed upwards towards the dark clouds slowly forming overhead. She pulled the trigger and the arrow went _flying_ , piercing the sky and the poor bird that happened to be passing by at the wrong time.

Lena flinched at the loud _sqwak_ and watched as it dropped to the earth, dead before it hit the ground.

“...was that necessary?” Lena rolled her eyes, doing her best to not look too impressed but failing miserably as an excited grin spilled over her features.

It was like the Hunt of the Minotaur all over again, feeling an overwhelming sense of security as the Huntress whipped the crossbow around to her. She was so sure of herself and confident in her ability to teach that Lena couldn’t help but not feel an ounce of fear.

“Now you.”

It took her a moment to pull the lever and re-set the string back into place. Amelie made it look so easy, but she had also tossed a 200 pound man made of muscle across the street with one hand. Lena finally managed to succeed after tucking the thing between her legs and pull with both hands.

She had every intention of repeating the very performance she had just witnessed but Amelie was quick to appear at her side and position her correctly.

“Tuck this on your shoulder, it will steady your aim” she said with surprising patience and calm, her gloved hands directing her arms and the weapon accordingly.

“This hand rest here, underneath see?”

Lena allowed her to reach out and take her hand, gently guiding her to the bottom of the crossbow to hold it from its underside. As promised, she felt steady and more in control, feeling confident under the Huntress’ watchful eye.

“Never put your finger near the trigger unless you have the intent to kill.” she said, standing behind Lena and gently taking her index finger away from the trigger to rest just above it, her chest brushing against Lena’s back as her head hovered over her shoulder. Her gloved hands rested on Lena’s arms, carefully guiding her to aim at a nearby tree.

“I’d rather not be shot in the back when you get spooked.”

Lena laughed, settling into the crossbow in her grasp as she aimed, “Yeah I’d rather not be the one to explain that to someone either.”

“Should that happen, please make up a more heroic end for me in your tales.”

“Absolutely, I’ll give you a heroes death worth retelling,” Lena laughed, confident with her posture and target as she placed her finger on the trigger.

 

Lena held her breath. A heartbeat passed. She pulled the trigger.

 

The arrow zipped into the trees so fast she that nearly missed it as it landed - somewhere in the grass. Nowhere near her target.

Her shoulders sagged in defeat, hesitant to look over her shoulder and hear her teacher’s disappointment but Amelie just nodded.

 

“Again.”

 

And she did.

 

And missed.

 

“Again”

 

Her arms felt sore, constantly reloading the heavy lever but it eventually became easier, reaching back to pull out a bolt became second nature and soon the tree was covered in arrows. She would not be a master overnight, there were an equal amount of bolts in the grass behind said tree, but Amelie watched her intently, gently making small corrections here and there.

Though she did pop Lena on the forehead with two fingers realizing she was closing one eye to aim.

“O-ow…”

“Focus Lena, we won’t have to worry about long distance tonight but still I need you to watch my back, not shoot it.”

At this Lena scoffed, rolling her eyes as she repeated herself, “Oh come on, I know we started off pretty rough but I would never-”

But as she turned to face her teacher the time for jokes were over.  Amelie held a bolt in her bare hand the arrowhead resting against her skin.

It sizzled slightly.

Along her hand was the faint outline of something that appeared to have splashed on her, perhaps the holy water she accidently dropped on herself. Along her fingertips however were darker burns, like calluses.

The tip was silver.

She was teaching Lena how to use weapons to kill monsters.

Weapons that, should they be in the wrong hands, could kill her.

Lena could only watch helplessly as Amelie stepped towards her and offered the bolt back to her.

“I implore you, do not shoot me in the back” she sighed, originally intending to break off the tension with humor but forced herself to continue.

“Unless you have to.”

Lena’s arms dropped to her sides as she let out a long groan, clutching the bridge of her nose in frustration.

“Amelie I swear...stop being melodramatic for ten minutes please I beg of you.”  

“Lena I’m being serious.”

“Yes I’m well aware and you know what? Yeah, we started out pretty rough. Yeah you being a vampire frightened me out at first. But you know what else? You saved those people from that thing and you’re saving me. Right now, you’re saving me.”

Amelie blinked back in surprise as Lena took the bolt from her grasp and slipped it back into the quiver to hold out her hand to her awaiting a handshake from her partner.

"I won’t hurt you. I promise.”

Amelie cracked a disbelieving smile, shaking her head at the silly human for a moment.

“And you say I’m being melodramatic,” she laughed, not missing the throwback of her own words.

Lena pouted lightly, urging her hand forward,“Piss off, let’s go hunt us a dragon, yeah?”

Amelie shook her head but still reached out and took Lena’s hand in a firm handshake.

 

“Oui.”

* * *

 

The trek up the mountain was shorter than Lena was expecting.

It was both a good thing and a bad one, as on one hand they could either get this over with sooner, or potentially die much sooner.

Still, she had much less time to ask questions and go over the plan, problem being there wasn’t much of one.

“Are you...serious? We just...walk in?” Lena gulped, following closely behind as Amelie carefully began the climb upwards along the face of the mountain.

Their path had ended at a pile of rubble that was probably once a road, was now a misshapen mess of molten rocks and metal, partially melted by what could only be dragonfire and long lines grouped in fours scratched along the side of the mountain. It was hint enough to let them know they were close.

“It’s late, they should be asleep by now. We have a better chance catching it off guard and slitting it’s stomach open while undetected,” Amelie replied over her shoulder, reaching a small ledge just enough to climb on top and turn back around to extend her hand out to Lena.

Not that she really needed it but Lena quickly hopped up and took her hand.

“Stomach?” she said quietly as Amelie in all of her vampiric strength stood up and hoisted her onto the ledge.

“Weak spot, the neck works well but it is too close to the teeth for my liking,” Amelie shrugged, pointing upwards.

Lena quickly followed her gaze and realized there, above their heads and set on the side of the mountain towards it’s peak was a hole. A large cave gaped, with large claw marks etched into the sides where a massive dragon might have used the edge to take off into the sky.

“You’re good at sneaking around” she said, intertwining her fingers together she held her hands down low enough to let Lena step on them,”You’ll be fine.”

Before she could reply, Amelie pulled her arms up and launched Lena upwards, and despite experiencing her strength first hand Lena was not fully prepared, promptly landing flat on her face.

She let out a soft groan, slapping a hand over her mouth as she rolled over on her back and looked around. The mouth of the entrance was massive, and made sense for such a large creature, but seeing it first hand made her shiver.

“See? Not a peep, you’re doing great,” Amelie whispered, her heels clicking gently as she jumped up and landed gracefully beside her.

“I hate everything about this right now,” Lena groaned, slowly pushing herself up as Amelie continued on where deeper inside she could feel a strange radiating warmth that made her skin crawl.

“Don’t worry, I’m sure that if need be, you can just sweet talk our way out of this,” Amelie mumbled under her breath, slipping her rifle from her back and into her grasp.

Lena immediately picked up the pace and loaded her crossbow.

“...can...dragons talk?” she whispered harshly, her voice shaking, she nearly dropping the bolt twice before properly loading her weapon.

“You said it was a Red Dragon right?”

She nodded, but their conversation was cut short as the massive tunnel of an entrance suddenly became very tight, the walls came in closer as they turned the corner. They were still able to move freely, but the transition was so drastic Lena couldn’t help but stop and look back for a moment.

“...how can such a huge creature live like this?”

At this, Amelie stopped. Slowly she turned back and Lena’s stomach flipped as she caught sight of a flash of regret in her eyes.

“...Lena...did the witch tell you anything about this dragon?”

“No…? Why?”

 

“ **Ahem.** ”

 

The two stared at each other for a moment as a voice neither recognized cleared their throat. They both immediately pressed their backs against the wall, weapons loaded and tight in their grasp as the voice around the corner just sighed.

“One moment please.”

Amelie and Lena stood utterly still, backs pressed up against the rock wall as they glanced at each other in equal amounts of horror and confusion.

Curiosity getting the better of her, Lena carefully stepped past Amelie, peeking over the wall that she was hiding behind and found the source of the voice.

There sat on a large golden thrown, perfectly square and symmetrical in its intricate carvings was what at first Lena thought to be a woman. Her legs were crossed with a book in her lap and eyes cast downwards but upon closer inspection, Lena realized that her skin wasn’t sunburnt,  but was covered in sharp dark red scales, her yellow slitted eyes narrowed dangerously at the book, her foot tapping lightly in impatience, her horns long and curved along the top of her head with spikes glowing red like hot lava and large silver hoops hanging from her ear.

“....oh that’s what you meant…” Lena whispered in awe.

Amelie sighed and cocked her gun before pushing herself from the wall,”...of course she would be expecting us...”

“As I said, I will be with you shortly” the Dragon called out once again, raising a hand and holding out a finger to emphasize her order.

And so they did.

Amelie stepped out of their cover and into the heart of the lair, gun drawn but not aimed, not yet. Lena quickly followed, aiming her shaky crossbow at the figure but Amelie placed two fingers along the side and gently pushed it downwards.

The lair was surprisingly smaller than she was expecting, yet strangely homely for a dragon. The stone was melted, she assumed fire breath to perfection for a beautifully smooth and round finish. Which Lena thought this to be odd at first but as she found the Dragon’s hoard of gold and treasures perfectly stacked and organized with purpose it was easy to see that this dragon was very...particular with her hoard.

Finally the Dragon let out a long sigh, satisfied with where she left off, she gingerly placed a small bit of ribbon inside to mark her place and shut the book.

“Ah, very lovely. They will see eye to eye just yet” she mumbled to herself, a small smile gracing her lips as she stood up, gently placing the book in her seat.

“Now then-”

Lena blinked once, realizing too late that the strange wrap around the Dragon’s  waist was not, in fact, a skirt but her wings as they fanned out and flapped once. Pushing her forward at an  inhuman speed, she lunged for them, claws out and a deep guttural snarl on her lips. She nearly collided into both of them, and would have killed them had Amelie not shoved Lena out of the way.

It was all happening so fast and yet as Lena was falling she watched as it all happened in slow motion.

Amelie leapt to the side just in time to avoid those claws that scrapped along the rock wall, sparks flying as they went. She was quick to press the barrel of her gun against the side of the Dragon’s head, but the Dragon was faster. She smacked the long barrel just in time as the musket exploded like thunder, echoing in the small chamber and rattling the gold coins. The bullet whiffed past it’s intended target and the Dragon struck upwards with her free hand, wicked claws ripping flesh along Amelie’s jawline, across her left eye and her forehead in one blow.

Amelie let out a cry of pain as she thrown backwards into a wall and slammed into the ground, clutching her face as it sizzled like a searing hot blade had struck her.

Lena fell to the floor, nearly losing her crossbow but held on as she took aim and pulled the trigger.

Her arrow struck true, the Dragon let out a terrible roar as the arrow pierced her through the thick scales and into her back. The Dragon turned and looked down, growling at the offending thing before promptly ripping it out.

Before Lena had time to reload, the Dragon stomped over to her, wings flared out as she roared, hot black smoke spilling from her lips as she snarled. Lena couldn’t move, paralyzed and numb as she was, she thought for sure this would be it and if the Dragon would not kill her then for sure her body would finally disappear.

The Dragon reached down and grabbed Lena by the shirt, pulling her up and slamming her against the nearest wall. Her feet dangled, unable to touch the floor and all she could do was hold onto the tight grip holding her there and close her eyes, awaiting the end.

But it never came.

 

Instead, the hand holding her in place pressed harder against her chest.

 

The Dragon hummed in thought.

 

“Incomplete.”

 

Lena slowly opened one eye, the Dragon wasn’t even looking at her directly but instead at her chest.

 

“That heart was yours.”

 

Lena could only nod slowly.

 

“Which means you must be…” The Dragon paused a moment, bringing up her right hand finding bits of skin and blood along her fingers.

Lena remained frozen still as the Dragon leaned in and took a long lick.

“Oh” she blinked in surprise, seemingly recognizing the taste she turned back around just as Amelie stood up.

Four long jagged slices ran along half her face, bleeding profusely and dripping off her chin, yet Amelie stood up as though it were a minor inconvenience. She sighed in annoyance, her eyes closed in concentration as the gaping wounds slowly sealed. The bleeding stopped but there were still long indentations of the scars along her face. She opened her eyes, her left now greyed, healing at a much slower pace but still functional as she stared down her target.

“How interesting…” the Dragon hummed,”And here I was wondering...who could possibly make the Witch of the Wilds so uneasy.”

She laughed, amusement in her voice,”Who would have guessed. The Vampire Queen’s daughter is what she fears.”

“No, she fears the Huntress,” Amelie spat, wiping the blood along her chin but gave up realizing there was too much to clean off for now, her gloved hand covered in crimson,”Let the girl go.”

The Dragon scoffed, not even bothering to give Lena a second glance as she let go, dropping her flat on her behind.

“Ah yes that’s right, the legendary monster slayer who is but a monster herself,” she laughed, though sarcasm wafted from her lips like smoke, “I’m sure your mother is very proud.”

“I have no interest in the throne. Or _her._ ”

“Shame” she shrugged, “You could be something powerful, more than her if you gave into your…” the Dragon paused a moment, her bloody claw tapping her chin in thought as she smiled,”...instincts.”

Lena sat on the ground, completely still in hopes of remaining undetected. Her crossbow lay not far from her, if she was quiet enough she could possible retrieve it. But the look on Amelie’s face kept her still as it curled into a glare, anger beginning to boil but kept under control, the only indication a tightly clenched fist.

“I am _not_ a monster.” her tone strong and final.

The Dragon stepped forward, taller by a head she stared down at the Huntress with what Lena recognized as _pity_ in her eyes. “Yes. You are. Drink all the animal blood you want, it will keep you alive, but for how much longer? I can see it on your face. Your resolve is fading. You can’t even properly lick your own wounds.”

Amelie said nothing, she glared up at the Dragon but refused to deny anything as blood dribbled from her chin, droplets staining her black coat.

Lena gulped, keeping her eyes on the woman as her hand slowly reached out to her fallen crossbow. She still had bolts strapped to her belt, perhaps if they stayed busy she coul-

 

“Then there is you.”

 

Lena froze on the spot, feeling her soul leave her body as the Dragon whipped around with her intense yellow eyes fixated on her.

 

“I’ve guarded that heart for quite sometime…” she mused, her clawed feet slowly stepping closer, Lena unconsciously backed up as she approached until felt her back hit the wall of the cave. Unable to move, she could only watch in fear as the Dragon stopped to kneel right in front of her to be at eye level.

“I wonder...what has happened to you recently...that has your heart beating so erratically?” she hummed with thought, her eyes scanned her face.

Lena’s stomach was churning, that feeling of gut-clenching violation that she had felt when The Witch toyed with her heart returning as the Dragon smiled knowingly.

“Is it wise to travel with fresh blood alongside you?” she laughed, calling out over her shoulder.

Amelie’s fists clenched tighter, the leather shifting under tight grip.

“L-look...if you’re not gonna kill us...then could you...perhaps tell me where my heart is...and we can go our merry way yeah?” Lena offered a sad laugh that quickly died as the Dragon shifted her gaze back to her.

“And what, pray tell, do you plan on doing if I tell you? Kill the witch? Will it be you? Or the disgraced Vampire that’s so far gone in her self pity that she’s wasting away day by day?”

Lena glanced back at said vampire who could only shrug, they hadn’t thought that far ahead honestly.  

“And what is your part in all this,” Amelie sighed, her heels clicking along the stone floor as she approached, “You clearly have no desire to keep her safe.”

The Dragon sighed, standing up right, keeping her gaze on Lena but not quite looking, her eyes lost in thought,“I protected the heart in exchange for being left alone…” she paused a moment, shooting a small glare at Lena that suddenly made her feel terribly small.

“...which clearly did not work.”

Lena bit her lip,“That….sounds like a breach in contract yeah? You wanted some peace and quiet and here we are?”

The lair fell silent as the Dragon stared at the girl, a finely contoured brow raising in amusement.

“You are correct...Though I’m sure you’re already aware of the horrors that lie in wait underneath my mountain.”

 

Amelie and Lena caught each other’s gaze as they exchanged a silent moment of synchronized agony.

 

“Oh fuckin’ Adlersbrunn…” Lena whined, thumping her head back against the wall in frustration.

 

“The Witch has allied herself with a madman who wants to play god and with your heart, he may just succeed.”

It took Lena a few moments but when it all clicked into place, she buried her face in her hands,“...the Minotaur...”

Just when her luck couldn’t have gotten worse, her life continued to surprise her.

“A plaything compared to whatever else he is creating.”

The Dragon scoffed, tucking her wings around her waist as she made her way back to her throne, taking the book from her seat she stared at the cover in thought.

“All in the name of revenge...how utterly boring. Predictable!” she sighed, dropping herself back into her chair, holding her book in her grasp she waved it side to side as she rolled her eyes.

“He did this to me. She did that. Now they must pay...ugh…” she groaned, jabbing her cheek against her fist as she shook her head in disappointment.

“All of you all caught in a terrible web, so convinced in thinking you are in the right. That you are seeking justice...It’s all pointless.”

“That’s easy for you to say, you’re just watching it all like a show!”

Lena didn’t miss the way Amelie’s eyes whipped at her in surprise followed by warning but she couldn’t stop her own mouth even if she tried. Grasping the wall behind her, she stood up, planting her feet firmly as she pointed to her chest.

“We’re living in it! There’s nothing else we can do!”

 

“The girl died anyway.”

 

The Dragon’s tongue was as sharp as her claws, and Lena was cut into silence by her words.

“You sold your heart fair and square and now you seek to retrieve it? Like an unsatisfied customer who failed to check if the bag of grain was rotten before purchasing,” the Dragon gave a derisive scoff, her lip curling in distaste.

Lena’s eye twitched, and she bit her lip in hopes of holding back her weak words of defense but as the Dragon shifted her gaze to Amelie the air in the room changed.

“And then there is you. Oh, where to even begin with you” she said with a cold smile on her face.  

Amelie’s eyes narrowed dangerously, “How about we don’t.”

Lena gulped, suddenly feeling a chill despite being in a dragon’s lair.

“It’s been a hundred years and look how fresh it still is.”

The Dragon and the Huntress were still at first, eyes locked as her words clearly weaved their way into Amelie’s mind. She was cracking at the seams as the Dragon brought her hands together, fingers intertwined with her chin atop them as she smiled.  

“I am curious how this tale ends with you. Will her death be slow and torturous as yours was?”

 

Lena took this moment of locked combat of wills to be utterly petty.

 

“Quick and painless? Get it done and over with?”

 

Keeping her eyes on the two, even as Amelie slowly stepped forward, her fists still clenched at her sides, Lena slowly reached out towards the stack of gold coins.

 

“What will you say to her as life leaves her eyes by your hands?”

 

_One. Two. Three. Four. Oh wait. Five. Yes Five. An odd number would really drive her crazy._

 

“That’s enough,” Amelie hissed, standing before the Dragon on her throne with her final warning.

 

“Look at you. So stone cold. The Huntress who feels no pain they say. But _look at you._ ”

 

The Dragon stood up, looking down at the young vampire, embarrassed for her.

 

“How...sad.”

 

“Ooook enough with the mind games mate,” Lena coughed, swiping the crossbow as she quickly moved towards them.

Her hand grabbed at Amelie’s shoulder, not tightly but just enough to break the tension as she caught sight of her fangs slowly elongating with every passing moment.

“The Witch is somewhere in Adlersbrunn doing more evil shit with a psychopath and my heart is powering it. We should get going,” she tried again, gently tugging this time.

Amelie growled, it was barely audible but Lena knew it was an honest to God snarl under her breath as she shook Lena’s grasp off to turn away.

There were many ways this could have gone but this was not one of them.

Lena sighed, turning back to the Dragon who looked too amused for her own good, it was aggravating and the longer they stayed the more regrets would be made.

“Thanks for...well not killing us...physically I guess…”

The Dragon laughed, taking her seat and book back into her lap just as they found her to be,“I look forward to seeing how this story plays out.”

And that was that.

The Battle of the Red Dragon of the Northern Mountains was over.

All of their travels, their fights, their bonding and adventure together all led up to this moment. Lena swore she would not make it out alive, no one would, yet honestly she felt as though she had just been torn apart.

They picked themselves up and slowly made their way out the way they came.

Amelie remained silent. Nothing could have prepared her for the wounds she left with.

The two quietly made it back to the tunnel entrance, it was still dark out, a few hours until dawn but dark grey clouds blocked out the moon. The wind howled as it funneled into the cave, moisture in the air and faint thunder in the distance made for rain to come soon.

Lena hummed, the grin that had been threatening to spill from her face finally out in full force. She reached into her pocket and pulled out a small tight leather pouch, purposely created to avoid the jingle of coin as she walked.

“If...it makes you feel any better...”

Amelie stopped, frozen in place as Lena pulled out five perfectly round and pristine golden coins, shining as bright as the ridiculous smile on her face.

“Lena, what in the name of all the gods is wrong with you.”

Lena flicked one coin in the air then expertly opened the pouch to catch it.  

“Sticky fingers love,” she winked.

 

**“ T H I E F! ”**

 

The cavern shook as the Dragon deep within let out a thunderous roar.

Lena cupped her hands over her mouth and roared back.

“What are ya gonna do about it?! SEEK REVENGE?!”

The voice within shouted, becoming less human like and more like a deep animalistic snarl as the tunnel behind them became light with an orange yellow light that appeared to grow brighter and come closer. Hot air blasted outwards as a precursor and a warning that Lena took to heart and quickly shoved the coins back into her pocket before sprinting.  

“Oh look at that, time to go!” she laughed, nearly tripping twice as she scrambled upwards towards the exit.

“Are you insane?!” Amelie screamed, running after her.

“Maybe! Not sorry! Not even the slightest!” Lena grinned, though the fun and games were cut short as Amelie grabbed her by the back of her shirt as she nearly ran right off of the sharp cliff that she had forgotten about.

Holding tightly to her idiot, Amelie pulled her to her chest and jumped herself, dropping twenty feet straight down as a cone of fire blasted out of the cave entrance missing them, but the heat was too close for comfort. Lena closed her eyes, feeling the heat on her arms as they dropped but Amelie landed hard on the cliffside without a problem. Lena clung to Amelie with delighted laughter, adrenaline coursing through her veins. It took Amelie a few moments to pry the excited girl off of her.

Just as Lena gathered her breath and pushed herself up to stand up she was promptly smacked back down with a sharp blow to the back of her head,“How about you warn me when you steal from a goddamn Dragon!”

Before she could attempt at an explanation, or an apology though that would most likely be insincere, Lena looked up and a flash of red caught her eye.

Without warning, she tackled Amelie, pushing her back against the mountain side with a small alcove.

“What are y-”

“Shh!”

Pressing her body up completely against her, the two were hidden as the mountain against her back shook with every heavy step, rocks fell from above, they were safe for now but as the distinct sound of claws scratching at solid stone she began to doubt that.  

A heavy roar shook the mountain as wind whipped around them as wings took off followed by a blood chilling roar.

The mountain fell still as Amelie watched the large and imposing red dragon flew off into the distance.

It was unlikely she would come after them, not after their conversation. It would be beneath her dignity to stoop to their level, she would seek to perfect her collection her own way. It was a small victory for them. Petty, but it was something.

“...I’m sorry…” Lena sighed, her head thumping against Amelie’s shoulder, the weight of her foolishness finally catching up with her. She hid her face in shame, but it didn’t last long as she snapped up and pouted,“But she can fuck right off and go outside and deal with the real world herself!”

Amelie shook her head,“You are absolutely insane...but I do appreciate it.”

Finally letting her go, Lena pulled back now out in the open and alone her breath caught in her throat. Now up close she could clearly see the four jagged claws that tore Amelie’s face apart and the blood was still dripping from her wounds even though they were now sealed.  

“Are...you ok?” she asked quietly, her hand reaching up but not touching Amelie’s face.

Amelie sighed, glancing down at her gloves covered in blood. An annoyance that needed to be dealt with.

“Let’s go back to camp...we need to...”

“Drink.” Lena answered, rubbing the bridge of her nose she looked up at Amelie sharing the same look of shattered egos,” Love I need a drink, and I am _not_ doing it alone.”


	14. Heavy

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Who I was does not define me today.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warnings: Lesbian death (but not for being a lesbian), emotional abuse, gaslighting, abusive relationship and the authors kind reminder that Angela is the antagonist.

“Hey, come on now. Sit still.”

“Lena I’m not a child,” Amelie, despite her stern words, glared weakly at the girl.

“No, but you can’t see your reflection and you look godawful.”

Amelie sighed in defeat, tossing aside her bloodsoaked leather gloves to clean later. Not feeling up to argue, she reluctantly turned her head, giving Lena full access to her bloody face.

The two sat in silence save for the crackling of the strong fire burning beside them within the small cave, and the howling of the breeze outside as a prelude to rain.

The horses, still tied and innocently munching on snacks left by Lena, were safe under a tree thick with a canopy of leaves over them close by.

They returned to their small camp after their encounter with the dragon, shoulders heavy with defeat despite coming back alive. Lena was quick to gather a simple medicine kit from Amelie’s bags as the vampire started the fire and flopped back to lie against the wall of the cave, her face still dripping with blood but she paid no mind to it, the words of the dragon hung in the air between them like a thick fog that neither was quite ready to acknowledge.

Lena sat before the Huntress, quietly pouring a waterskin out onto a white rag and gently dabbed it against her face, sopping up the blood to asses the damage. She didn’t need to be bandaged or stitched thankfully, her natural (or unnatural) vampiric healing sealed her wounds quickly, leaving only a bloody mess behind.

Lena wiped the rag underneath her jawline and against her neck, the collar of her crisp white blouse was done for, stained in crimson. Amelie quietly moved her head accordingly.

“...christ this looks…” Lena mumbled under her breath but fell quiet as Amelie opened her eyes assuming she was finished.

There were four long lines from her cheek over her left eye to her forehead, deep into her skin. They were darkened and appeared as though they had been scars for years. As she opened her eyes, Lena’s breath caught in her throat as Amelie’s left eye was now grey.

“Does...it still hurt?” she asked quietly, unable to look away.

“Not as much as my pride.”

Lena smiled slightly, nodding her head in agreement.

“Yeah, probably doesn’t heal as fast too I bet?”

With a satisfied huff, Lena turned back to the kit slowly packing things up as Amelie watched for a moment. She smiled slightly as she recognized the fumbling of hands and biting lips.

“You look like you have questions.”

Lena paused a moment to stare at her, of course she had questions. The things she learned today brought up many, yet of all to start with, Lena looked her dead in the eyes and mumbled out...

“...does this make you the vampire princess?”

Amelie stared back at Lena’s serious expression in silence and surprise, the question catching her unprepared.

“...I don’t think you’re incorrect…?” she started slowly, somehow this never occurred to her but now she would be unable to think any other way,”...are you sure that’s where you want to start?”

“You don’t have to tell me anything, I won’t mind being in the dark for this I just…” the fiddling continued but Amelie didn’t miss the way her eyes trailed to her bags, where the stake she had given to her was strapped to the side.

“You have nothing to fear from my...mother, she has little to no interest in me. Although she has some kind of delusion that I will return to her freely” Amelie rolled her eyes, not that she really needed to return at all, not while her brother continued to be the poster child for the throne.

“Well…that’s good I suppose...” Lena huffed, slapping her legs with a start and carefully stood up, brushing the dirt from her knees as she made her way towards the bags,”But before we get into all that, as promised I still have drinks if you’re interested.”

Amelie quietly reached up, dragging her fingertips against her face, feeling the rough indentations. Despite their appearance, they were still fresh, and she hissed lightly, surprised at the sting.

“Hey love looks like you’re running a little low!”

Amelie turned just in time to see her flask in mid air, she caught it easily enough and just as Lena said, the weight within was light.

She let out a soft sigh of relief.

“Good. I need to kill something.”

Lena paused mid grab of her bottle of ale to snort,”Do it for the both of us, if you need me I’ll be lookin’ for my self esteem in the bottom of this beauty.”

Amelie shook her head but smiled, pulling herself up and swiping the crossbow and a single bolt. She would only need one.

“I’ll be back shortly.”

She had only taken two steps out over the cave before Lena’s small voice stopped her in her tracks.

“Was the Dragon telling the truth?”

She couldn’t move, there was something in the tone of her voice. Uncertain and nervous but worst of all, she seemed to already know the answer.

 

**_Is it wise to travel with fresh blood alongside you?_ **

 

“Are you hurting yourself? Drinking animal blood instead of-”

Amelie loaded the single arrow into the crossbow and walked off into the night.

 

* * *

 

The closet comparison she could think of was water.

 

The blood of elk or most animals in general other than minor differences in taste all had the same effect as drinking water.

Not quite filling but refreshing and seemed like enough to get by but at the end of the day, she was still starving. Worst of all she had no idea of any of this until after spending one too many days with Lena.

Perhaps she was fortunate in a twisted way, she could usually always hear the faint heart beat of any human she spoke to. Most so loud and thundering as they quivered and nervously begged for her help that she could hardly hear their pleading words.

It disgusted her to no end how she felt craving after listening to the fleshy organ anxiously pump blood through a person’s body. It was barbaric, animalistic, _monstrous._ She kept her contact with people to a bare minimum. Not only for their safety but her own sanity. But seeing how Lena quite literally lacked one, it made it easier for her to assume the animal blood would be enough. That she was safe to have a companion again. But the dragon was right, her resolve was fading.

Amelie listed the crossbow with one hand and fired into the darkness. The bolt struck true as her prey let out a sick cry of pain before falling over dead.

The wind picked up as small droplets of rain gently pattered along the trees, too few and far in between like a weak mist. She didn’t have a lot of time before it would get worse and so she took a knife from her boot and approached her kill.

Deer. Female. A little young for her tastes but it would do for now.

Taking her handkerchief from her vest pocket she gathered the thin fabric and bit down as the knife slit through the neck. Holding the flask underneath the deer like it were a spigot her fangs dug deep into the fabric in hopes of fulfilling the desire to bite into flesh.

How much longer did she have until she snapped?  
  
She had promised Lena a life away from her poverty and the chance to be something more, but now she put her in the most danger besides hunting monsters alongside her.

The flask overflowed, warm crimson spilled over her hands, yanking out of her own thoughts.

She quickly pulled it away, taking a quick swig to make room for the cap.

A brief moment of relief washed over her but as usual it was temporary.

Popping the cap on the flask she froze for a moment as her eyes caught sight of the blood along her hands.

Somewhere in the forest wolves watched on, eager to take her kill but too afraid to approach as she remained close by.

The sharp cry of a horse in distress brought immediate chills up her spine. She whipped around and listened in as the very distinct whine of her black steed and followed by another horse sent her into a panic and she sprinted back to camp.

With fresh blood in her system and adrenaline guiding her she returned in no time.

Cauchemar stomped his feet repeatedly upon seeing her, his little way of demanding her attention while Sir Chomp was less subtle as he struggled to pull away at his reigns.

Her eyes immediately shot towards the cave, for a moment her dead heart lurching into her throat as there was no sign of Lena anywhere.

But as she ran forward, hoping to find clues and trying to process what could have been and where she would look first for her protege, Amelie slowed to a halt, realizing the flicker of the campfire was not playing tricks on her eyes.

Lena was right where she left her, beside the fire, flat on her back with her arm draped over her eyes with a bottle of ale in her grasp.

Her entire body flickering in and out of existence like a dying candle.

“Lena?” Amelie tried carefully as she slowly knelt beside her body, her hands hesitant and unsure if she should or even could touch her.

“Lena can you hear-”

“Why am I doing this?”

Amelie blinked back in surprise, Lena’s voice coming out as a soft whimper, so broken and shaking as she sniffed.

“You….you were right, that fucking dragon was right, _she_ was right...so why, _why_ am I fighting so hard for something that I lost completely on my own terms?” she cried, gritting her teeth.

“ _Look_ at us! We don’t stand a fucking chance. I’m better off disappearing.”

Amelie sat back, quietly watching as Lena’s body slowly became solid, the light from the fire beside her reflecting in her face where long lines of tears streaked across her cheeks were now visible. She sighed, leaning back against the wall of the cave and shook her head.

“You don’t believe that.”

Lena lifted her arm just enough to shoot a weak glare at the vampire, her eyes red and puffy from crying alone for so long.

“Yes I do!”

Amelie shook her head again..

“No, you don’t.”

That was that, her insistence and argument were shaky at best and with Amelie staring straight at her with assurance rather than the pity that she was expecting, Lena let out a long sigh and dropped her arm back over her eyes in defeat.

“Fuck you.”

The silence that settled within the cave was strangely comforting.

Amelie reached over, grabbing the bottle of wine Lena had saved for her and bit the cork off with her teeth.

“She must have been something special then?” she asked after spitting out the top and taking a long swig.

A small sad smile crossed Lena’s face as she stared off into the fire. “Yeah, she was.”

Putting the bottle aside for a moment, Amelie reached up and pulled the ribbon holding her hair up in a tight pony tail and let her hair cascade down her shoulders.

“Tell me about her” she started, tugged on her tie and popping the top button of her shirt open, getting herself comfortable for a story,”I’m sure you’ll be thoroughly distracted as I pretend to listen.”

At this Lena scoffed, rubbing her eyes with her sleeve before lifting her arm off her face,“Okay come off with the cool demeanor. The last time you said that, you obviously listened pretty well.”

Amelie smiled toothily.

“What was her name?”

Lena huffed a heavy sigh and looked up at the ceiling

“Her name was Emily,” she started, a wistful smile upon her lips,“She was kind of an arse when we first met, tried to get me locked up a few times. Only one ever to catch me stealin’, probably why I fell so hard.”

Amelie hummed with amusement,”How adorable.”

“I used to sneak into her room on the second floor, at first I would leave before sunrise but God she made it so hard to go.”

 

  
_Your Father is going to walk in on us and skewer me where I stand_

  


_Aww, love wait. Please don’t go._

Amelie took a small drink, her gaze lingered on Lena for a moment as she paused, still staring at the ceiling but with lost eyes.

“She...was sick and I got desperate.”

 

_Don’t….don’t come in here. You might-_

 

_Christ. Em...Emily are you…?_

  
  
“Found the witch, sold my heart in exchange for her health.”

  


_What are you willing to give for your love’s life in exchange?_

  


_Anything! Everything!_

 

_Please…_

 

_I’ll give anything!_

  
  


“But...they were half way into digging her grave when she became well before their eyes. Color returned to her face, and she no longer coughed blood. It was a miracle and… and it scared the shit out of them.”

Lena let out a shaky sigh before continuing on.

“By the time I came staggering back, they had strapped her to a pyre and set it aflame. _Witchcraft_ , they said. They were right, but she… she had no idea what was wrong. She was completely innocent and it should have been me in the fire.”

“Cherie… This wasn’t your fault. You had no idea,” Amelie tried gently.

“I tried to go back, I was so convinced that the witch had planned this. Like she knew, trying to shift the blame to something, anything but- “

  


_What would I have to gain by knowing your love would perish regardless? We made a deal sweet child. Your heart is mine. But...if you so wish to retrieve it, I wish you luck taking it from the Red Dragon of the Northern Mountains._

  
“I didn’t care that I didn’t have a heart, all things considered it had died with Emily that night. But then a hand disappeared while I was nicking some food. Then my foot. For a while I tried to disappear on purpose. She was gone. I was back trying to survive on my own every meaningless day. What was the point?

  


_Emily… I can’t do this without you._

 

_Please. Please let me die, let me see her again._

  


“But…” Lena’s demeanor shifted as she rolled her eyes,”I passed out in the forest… and an old woman in the hills took me in and gave me a stern talking to.”

  


**You shouldn’t be alive, but you are and there is a reason for it. Your destiny is so much greater than you realize.**

  


“And here you are” Amelie offered a small smile as Lena sat up just enough to take a long swig from her bottle.

“Don’t you think it’s no coincidence that the witch has taken your heart for something big? And you’re still here? You can stop whatever she has in planning. It seems like it is your destiny to do so.”

Lena scoffed, lifting her bottle in the air she peered through the narrow opening with one eye, just to confirm it was in fact empty.

“Yeah, well. Everything happens for a reason they say… still bloody awful though”

Amelie knocked her wine back for a quick drink before passing it off to Lena who took it eagerly.

“I’m inclined to agree, however what were the chances of you being exactly what I needed?”

A moment of silence hung between them and for an instant Amelie felt regret as the words left her lips, perhaps softer than she intended. But Lena seemed to take it to heart, holding the wine bottle in both hands as she kept her eyes on the label. Perhaps it was the alcohol or the fire, but Lena’s face was most definitely red.

Lena coughed and cleared her throat,“So, her name is Angela?” she started, her eyes gleaming with curiosity as she turned around, facing her with undivided attention.

Amelie shook her head, letting out a long sigh. It would be unfair of her to not share at least a bit of her past with Lena, especially  after Lena had spilled her guts, but a part of her was more than happy to do so with someone she could actually trust. No one else knew the truth behind the legendary Huntress. Well, almost no one.

“She was,” she started, leaning back against the wall she stared off into the distance thinking on her words carefully,”A teacher, my best friend and…”

 

Her words trailed away into silence..

 

Lena blinked, awaiting the rest but found Amelie’s look of realization and embarrassment slightly concerning.

“And?”

Amelie bit her lip and slowly let her eyes trail back to Lena.

She stared back with confusion until the realization struck her,“Oh! Oh _my.”_

“It’s... very complicated.”

Suddenly, this didn’t seem like a good idea after all.

Grasping the wall behind, Amelie began to lift herself up with every intention of leaving the awkward conversation as Lena stared up at her with unabashed curiosity.

“Maybe I shou-”

 Lena immediately scrambled forward and threw her body over Amelie’s legs before she could get much further.

“Ooooooh no you do not! I did not just spill my life story to you like a drunken idiot to have you tell me you shagged the witch of the wilds and try to run off!”

Kicking Lena and walking away was beginning to look _very_ enticing.

Lena turned over to lie on her side, using Amelie’s legs as a cushion, her elbow digging down into the ground as she rested her head against her fist and smiled innocently, awaiting the rest of the story.

Before she could change her mind, Amelie thumped her head back against the wall and began.

“I was born Countess Amelie Lacroix a century ago, the only child to a noble house in France. We came here when I was just old enough to be an embarrassment for not marrying.” She laughed lightly, a genuine laugh. “ I was young, foolish and way too free spirited to be confined to a dress and be silent, so I would sneak out of the estate and explore the woods. One day, I wandered a bit too far.”

  


_My my what brings such a young beauty out into my woods?_

  


“That’s when I met her.”

  


_Hello my darling._

  


_Angela, what is that? Over there?_

  


_Shhhh. Stay quiet and keep your eyes low. She means no harm but do not look her in the eyes or you will be lost. Take my hand, do not be afraid._

  


“She taught me everything I know about those who reside in the shadows, creatures who come out at night under the moonlight and… I was in love and happy.”

  


_I have to go, my mother will worry and-_

  


_Why would you want to return? Stay with me._

  


“At least I thought I was.”

  


_You’re so beautiful._

 

_The human world does not deserve you._

 

_Aren’t you happier out here with me?_

 

_Stay with me._

_Stay with me._

_Stay with me._

  


_Don’t you love me?_

  


“It’s been well over a hundred years and I am still plagued with thoughts that this was all my fault. She became possessive, controlling, taking me from my home as I slept. I would awake in the woods. I was unsure if I were under a spell or in my own guilt is what kept me in the forest.”

  


_Angela. We… we can’t keep doing this. I can’t keep doing this._

  


_Darling, you must be tired. I did keep you up all night and I’m terribly sorry._

  


_No It’s not about that… I feel fine! Angela, please listen-_

  


_Shhh it’s alright._

  


“Until one day I couldn’t take it anymore and left her”

  


_Amelie! Amelie please! Let me in! How could you?! I loved you! Amelie!_

 

_AMELIE! WHY?!_

  


“She didn’t take too kindly to that”

  


**_THIS IS HIS FAULT. HOW COULD YOU DO THIS TO ME. HOW DARE YOU BETRAY ME._ **

  
  


Amelie sighed, closing her eyes for a moment as century old memories washed over her. What feelings she assumed were lost to time were in fact still fresh as she finally vocalized them for the first time.

Upon returning to her audience, she was surprised to find Lena unblinking and serious. Her brows furrowed slightly in anger and worry as she held onto every word.

“What happened?”

 

_Perhaps she’s right. We were fine, we were happy… I ruined this. I’m losing my mind and my love and-_

 

_Amelie you know that’s not true. I placed a barrier around the estate. You’re safe._

 

 _Thank you_ _G̨̧̡͕̯̩̟͗̄̆̉͘͜͞ͅẽ̵̳͔̰̫̞̜͎͚̇̀̊͌͠r̡͉̠̗͕̄͐͑͒̂ḁ̶̩̖̹͓͕̏͗̈̈́͐̐̊̚͞r̴̹̭̙͚̝̲̖̊͗̀̊̌̏̈̚͘d̵̢̥͚̜͚͓̤̞̔͛̓̈̿͊͟_ _…_

  


Her eyes looked past Lena, finding the light dance of their campfire easier to speak to as her continued on with a shaky voice.

“One… one day I was out with my family and we were ambushed. Carriage turned over, my parents murdered as someone dragged me away”

 

She paused a moment to reach up and gently drag her fingers across the two indentations on her neck. She could still remember the pain, how she choked on her sobs and struggled to free herself but their grip was too strong.

 

“I was bitten and that was that.”

  


_Such a sad little girl. No matter. All I need is good bait to draw him out._

  
“Angela sent the Vampire Queen after me, like some kind of twisted punishment for breaking her heart but it wasn’t enough”

  


_Please… please let me out. I’m...I’m sorry Angela, I’m so sorry! Please..._

  


“I was starved, locked in a coffin for days before let loose on the village like a rabid dog.”  

 

.I̸̱̳̮͍̠͕̘̰͎̓̋͋̉͘͟’̨̢̥̱͙̲͎͚̺̒̒̓͆̾͘͟m̳̝̣͓̼̝̟̗̙͇̎͋̏͝…̭̩̲̦̤̟̱̥͂̂̽͂́̂̈͐̇…̢͍̙̮̬̥͍̈́̃̌͒̿͘͝.̩̥̯̭͎͐̈́͌̌̔̆̄̚ş̛̲̘̯̾̐̄̍͒͢͢͝ͅo̸̢͖̦͇̦͛̿̀͋̅̔̈͘͢…̵̠̱̤̮̭͓̫̝̩̊͗̆̾͡…̷̡̧̥͔̱͍̐̋̓̊̈́͠.̢̢̗̳̭̩̮͆͑̍̀̍̅̌͐̿͠.̷̨̪̹̞̘̩̓̿̽͊̍̓̏̔̏͟͝s̨̛̛̥̫͓̼̞͗̏͠o̸̦̹͈̖̹͚̾͋͌̈́͛̾̕͝ͅr̡̪͓̞͍͙̭͛̾̒͛̊͋̂̍̕͞r͉̻͇̗͖͇͐̊̓̽͐̇̾̌̒͊ͅỵ̷̮͚̩̋͑͐̈͌͘̕͢

 

 ̸̨͚͔̺̭̫̦̯̥̖̲͍̘͈̼͛̄̓̉͑̍̐̅̅̍̏̚̕͢͢ͅͅ                                                                P̴̡̩̣̹͕̯̲̖̘͐͗̀̑̑̂͢l̡̺͓̥͖͈̞̆̿̒͐̉͢͡ͅë͔̪͖͖̘́̇̒́̈́͒a͔̪̝͍̼̿̀͆͑̃̓̇̿͋͠s̷͓͚̻̪̞͇̮͕̮̋̏̐̓̚è̵̩̰̠̙̦͐͆͑͘͝ k̵̨̛̦̝̤̙͍͇͚̼̑̒̿̂̑̚i̶̳̰͕̟̟͈͍̞͊͑͛̊̋͐̚͞l̨̰̳̟͉̜͉̎̂͜͞͞͞l̸̡͙̱̣̺̹̗͊̋͋̋̕͠ m̶̢͇͍̂̈́͊̀̆͋͜͟͞͞ė̵̲̲̦̟̱͚̪̦̭͙͗̒͂͐͐.̸̙̥̦̦̥̱̄̈́̿̋̉̅̚͟͠͝

 ̤̺̜͙̦̊̔̍͘͝                                                                                                                                                                       Ȋ̴̪̼̮̙̹͚̰̜̟̇̀͐̿̒’̷̗̪̳͇̳͔͗̂̾̐͞ͅm͕̰̭̲͎̺̘͋̀̎̈́͊̾ s̻̣̗͈̙̰̩͒̾̇̀̍́̚̚̕͝ǫ̧͙̦̪͕͆̊͌͐͂̉͘͜͝ř̙̺͇͕͚̹͈̩̤̉̈́͌͆̇͂̉͠ȑ̵̻̣̯̻͉̩̖͙̋̇̋͋̌͘͝y̡̢͚̬͍̩̖̹̙͒̈̔̈́̇͡͠ͅ.̨̢͈̩͇̲̽́̓͂̎͂̔͜

 ͔͓̺̟͓̖̆̄̐̑̋͛͑͗͢                                                                                  Į̷̣̺̭̣̫̜͌̌͛̾͠͞’̸̱̫̺̖̙͊̒̐̅̋͟m̷̦̼͈̙͉̼̰̄͛͗̄̕͢͜͠ s̶̨̧̧͈̥͔͖̣̜̟̋̂̊̐̀͘͠o̩̮̼̓͒̌͌͜͟͞r̞̲̻̤̜̗͗̎̍̐̀̑r̴̜̮̺̥̅͐͊̇̂̆͘͢͡y̨̛̹̲̙̱͓̟̘̳̟͒͑̎̓̽̄̓͐͋.̷̧̛̺̝̫̹͋͋́͑̀̆̍ Í̹͖̦̠̰̟̦̘̈͐̃̄͗̿̾̚͟’̷̡̦͓̣͈̈̍̈́̔̚m̵͉̮̤̼͓͖͓̜̃̊͋̽̀͠ s̶͈͓͈̲̻͍̽̒͆̉̆̅͘o̱̥̦̪̘̘̍̑̉͒̋̉̆r̡̨͔̱̼̲̩̍͌̎̈̓̓̕ͅr̳͇̭͈̦͇̱͆̓͑̿̃̀̚͝y͔̟͎̩̫̦̥̐̀͗̄̕̕͟.̤̖̞̺͙̥̜̰̣͂͐͊͑͐̃͝͠ I̴̧̢̭̖̖͎͈͚̪͋̓̀̔̆̉̓͆̕’̨̣͇̭̜̦̝̝͙̎͑̎͛̆͊̆́̄͢m̢͖͎͓̳̉̽̌̎̚͢͡ s̛̱̹͔̯̯̙̍͆̕͢͟o̡͖̖̰̦̳͕͍̎̄̈́̆͂̎̔̐̃͜͞r̴̨͍̞̘̥̩͕͔̣̾͋̚̕̚͢͠r̶̞̣̗͙̱̞̫̗̰͗̆̿̅̆͘ẏ̡̛̭̠͚̫̥͈̺͋͆̎̇̕͢͡ͅ.̢̤͎̖̖̙̠͊͒͛̈́̓̿͝

 ̵̫͚̩̖̬̲̇͐̑̅̈́͝                                                                                                                                     Y̟̙̹̟̤͂̿̊̈͊̾̃̐͞o̸̡̧̧͚͓̬̅̓̔̊͢͡u̵̪͈̺̼̻͓͊̔̈́̅̄͌̍͐͝ h͖͍̙͈̭̣͇͚̑̓̔̌̅́̕͞͝ǟ̟͚̹̠͚̪͇̇̕͘ͅv̶̨̻̱̹̟̫̭͗͊̔̄̔͡ĕ̡̗͙̩͚̗͚̗̠̀̐̈́̔̓̀̕͡͠ t̶̩̻̬̠͎͙̱̝͙̦̎̀̏̒̌o̷̜̩̳̤̝̖̓͌̑͒̒̊͌̂̉ s̸̪̬̞̤̭̺̥͚̲̒͛̌͒͢ţ̵̡̰̹̜̣̿͒͆̑̄̕͝͝ͅo̴͔̙̪̳̺͗̓̽͒̄͡͝p͈̳͓̠̥̲̾̉̽̉̋̈ m̶̜̜̤͓̱̞̫̖͌̎̈́͛̀̄ȅ̵̯̗̳̞͙̪̟̉̈́̊̑͜.̶̩̯̬͔͇̲͎̿̍̇̃̃̏̊̋͞

̵̷̧̛͔͓̺̦͇̳̭̦̹̺̣̻̳̪̮̻͐̆͌̐̆̊̉̂̎̄̾͒̽͢͜ͅG̨̧̡͕̯̩̟͗̄̆̉͘͜͞ͅẽ̵̳͔̰̫̞̜͎͚̇̀̊͌͠r̡͉̠̗͕̄͐͑͒̂ḁ̶̩̖̹͓͕̏͗̈̈́͐̐̊̚͞r̴̹̭̙͚̝̲̖̊͗̀̊̌̏̈̚͘d̵̢̥͚̜͚͓̤̞̔͛̓̈̿͊͟ p̡̛̥͎̤͚͎̮̝̺͑̅̋̓̓l̷̺͎̗̼͗̄͌̅̅͟ȇ̡̻̻̙͚̯͙̰͋̃̊̈́͘̚͜͡ͅą̴͖̞͕̘̬̃̊̃̅͂͘͢s͚̰̮͎̞̦͋̇̈́̉̈́̚͘͟͟͠͞͠ͅȩ̵̙̖͉̯͋͐̾̇͠!̴̡̪̠̬͈͔͋̂̎̄͌̚͢

̷̧̛̛͇͓̝̜̮̣͙̐̀̌̉͋͂̒̾

**̛̠̞̫̝̬̲͗̍͒́̅͊̈͞ͅ                                                       K̯̭͖͉̜͚̼̊̑̈́͆̾̕͘͝Ï̶̢̛̻̝̝̥͈̱̼͂̇́̒ͅL̷̢͍̬̬̬̬͒̾͒͗̓̅̆̾͡L̮͙̟̠̇̔̇̊̋̂̎̅̕̚͢ M̵̬̝̥̰͔̤̗̈͛̑̎̃̂͟͠͞E̱̹̤̟̪̣̠͖̅͛̆̃̓͂̑̚͟.̡̧̪͇̩̦̝̻͙͑̉́̍͊͂̏͆͠͠**

 

Lena’s face fell into horror as she stiffened up,“Amelie… ”

“Angela was there, watching the whole thing. She stepped over these people I murdered and held me like a lost pet.”

  


_My love, look at you! Such beautiful golden eyes! Now you can be with me forever! Belong to the night just like you’ve always wanted! Like you were always meant to be._

  


“Perhaps I was lucky, that my ” _mother”_ insisted I return with her instead of the witch. I belonged to _her_ now though Angela was not pleased about it.”

Most of that part she couldn’t recall, her spirit broken and was completely unresponsive to Angela’s soft petting or the Vampire Queen’s stern voice. Amelie stood when commanded to do so and followed like a good obedient child.

“I spent only a few years with my new family, I refused human blood, much to my mother’s utter disgust but my brother was kind to me in his own way, lying to her if I had fed and taught me how to hunt for animals. He took great pity on me and often defended me when she threatened to be rid of me.”

True he was rough, they fought, constantly budding heads, always reminding her that the throne was his and no one else’s. But at the end of the day he cared, and he was all she had left.

“I left on my own accord. She didn’t bother searching for me and… well, here we are I suppose”

It had taken her years, to break out of the numbness as a consequence to her horrific actions. Years to find solace, and when all she could find was an empty estate, her sorrow turned to anger and it was taken out on the nearest werewolf terrorizing a town close by and that was that. Her destiny became clear and she pursued it.

Lena, still lying across her legs and as captivated as ever offered a small smile.

“Nothing would give me greater joy than to watch you stand up to her and rip out her bloody beating heart.”

The fact that this statement was delivered with a completely straight face definitely helped as Amelie finally cracked a smile and laughed.

“Thank you Lena”

“No really!” she grinned, playfully poking Amelie’s upper thigh to ensure she was listening,”I mean… gods, Amelie she sounded so terrified of you when she had me in her clutches! She was like…’What no! Impossible!’ when you got all growly and all that!”

She shook her head, returning the favor and gently poked Lena on the forehead.

“I will admit, I think about that day very often.”

Outside the rain slowed to a halt, the wind continued to howl but it went unnoticed as the two were caught locked in each other’s gaze, comfortable in the silence.

“I’m sorry love.”Lena finally mumbled gently.

“And I’m sorry to you as well.” Amelie paused a moment before continuing,”You’re not getting up are you?”

Lena grinned from ear to ear, folding her arms under her chin she playfully continued the poking along the top of her thigh, “You are _incredibly_ comfortable.”

“You’re also a little drunk.”

“You would be very correct, Madam Lacroix,” she giggled, burying her face into her arms as her eyes begin to droop.

The dark clouds outside made it difficult to tell what time it truly was, mostly likely still late in the evening but it had been a long day.

Amelie made no move to disturb Lena or the position she was in, it was surprisingly comfortable. Reaching over the bags beside her she grabbed her thick black cloak and placed it over Lena’s body.

“I hope you know that nothing spoken here is to leave the cave.” Amelie mumbled, her hands finding a comfortable spot resting on Lena’s back.

 

Lena made a small noise indicating agreement but afterwards fell into a peaceful sleep with Amelie keeping a watchful eye.


	15. Mine

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Making it work. For better or for worse.

“Oh love, stop pokin’ at it, it’s fine!” Lena huffed.

Back in the saddle once again, the duo rode out at sundown as usual out of their cave and back onto the main road with Adlersbrunn in mind.

Amelie had slipped off her gloves and was continuously stroking the left side of her face, still not used to the indentations of scaring along her flesh. She had never before taken so much damage in a single hit that it couldn’t heal at least over night, but just as it was the previous evening, the angry claw marks remained on her face.

She sighed. “People have a hard enough time speaking to me even when their villages are in danger.”

Lena shrugged and nodded in agreement, “Well, yeah you were plenty intimidating before that, but who cares? You got me now to do the talkin’! And with a mean scar like that? People gonna be _scrambling_ to get you killin’ stuff!”

Amelie sighed again, taking one last one stroke from above her eye to her cheek before resigning to slipping on her glove.

“‘Sides, I think you look great.”

Amelie turned to find her partner leaned forward, her elbow on the horn of the saddle as she struggled to rest her chin on her fist. Her horse continued on his way making it rather difficult for her to stay in place, but she was very determined to look suave as she flashed a grin.

Amelie shook her head and rolled her eyes dramatically but there was still a smile on her face,“I think you’re biased, but I will accept your compliment.”

“Well, I _mean…_ ”

Lena’s words died on her lips as Amelie’s gaze suddenly shot up into the distance. Her thin brows furrowed in confusion as she scanned the landscape.

“Odd. Harpies aren’t native to here.”

Lena immediately sat up and followed her gaze.

They had nearly reached the crest of the hill and had a perfect view of the last town they were in and the long range of mountains that separated it from the Adlersbrunn. Nearly a dozen large bird like creatures were in flight, their screeches echoing along the mountain range and flying a little too close to the said town.

“Oh that’s not good, is it,” Lena mumbled, tugging her reins to a stop.

Amelie let out a long sigh and pulled on Cauchemar’s reins, turning him completely around and gave him a swift kick,“I hope you don’t mind another detour.”

 

* * *

 

In a matter of seconds the entire town had been thrown in chaos.

Just as the sleepy town had begun to wind down and bring an end to the day, the night air was filled with terrible shrieks.

Piercing through the heavy clouds, a dozen screaming bird creatures, claws and teeth bared with wide wicked green eyes swooped in, picking up small cattle and humans in their talons and flying off into the night. People screamed and scattered, ducking and narrowly missing sharp claws and running for shelter as the harpies circled the town searching for a potential meal.

“HEELLPPP!”

“Hold on Brooke!” Molly screamed, running out of the safety of her tavern to scoop up a rock from the ground and throw it with all of her might.

Her fist sized rock landed true but it did little to deter the harpy from trying to fly away but Brooke continued to struggle and scream. The harpy growled, having a difficult time getting a good grip on the woman.

Another rock connected, this time cracking the side of the harpy’s face and immediately gaining it’s attention.

“We can’t afford another person for the butter churning!” Specs screamed, another rock in hand and her free hand pointing accusingly at the monster,”You let her go!”

Piercing emerald eyes narrowed dangerously at the two women, it’s wings beating furiously as it turned back around and snarled. Brooke let out a cry of pain as the talons tightened, digging into her arms and legs.

It’s jaw unhinged and it bellowed a horrific roar that seemed to sound over the chaos of the town but the scream suddenly cut off into a gurgling choke, and the harpy seemed to silently hang in the air for a moment before falling to the ground beside Brooke like a sack of bricks. She was quick to scramble away, staring in horror at the dead monster.

A short arrow pierced the back of it’s head, the tip covered in blood and protruding out of its forehead.

“Holy shit. I hit it!”

Thunder cracked into the air, sending the remaining harpies flying away in a panic as the Huntress and Lena rode through the main road. All but one however, dropped to the ground with a smoking hole in it’s face.

Lena pulled on the reins of her steed to slow down just enough as she found a familiar face.

“You lot alright?”

Brooke nodded, unable to speak as she clutched her arm, red staining her shirt where the claws had dug into her skin, but alive nonetheless. Specs held her close gently but firmly as she tugged her inside to safety.

“Yes but I think they took Beran! Please get him back!”

Molly pointed off into the distance where the remainder of their attackers flew off, looking more like dark silhouettes now.

“Stay inside, we got this.” Lena paused a moment, glancing over her shoulder to her partner,”Right?”

The Huntress smiled sharply in return, quietly reloading her weapon as her black horse whined and snorted, excited for another run.  

“Oh yes” she glanced down at the harpy Lena took down herself unable to to hide the swell of pride growing in her chest,”We most definitely have this.” Amelie grinned, looking just as excited as she gave Cauchemar a swift kick and rode off into the night with Lena close behind.

It became clear very quickly why shooting harpies on horseback was one of the legendary things the Huntress was known for. After struggling to reload, dropping three bolts in the process and barely being able to fire a single shot only to have it whistle in the air far too low, Lena was having a difficult time as Sir Chomp sprinted at full speed through the forest with harpies screeching and flying above them.

“How the hell are you supposed to shoot like this?!”

Amelie laughed as she lifted her rifle and aimed upwards,”Practice!” she called back, pulling the trigger.

A harpy within the flock cried out in pain before falling limp, dropping the prey within its claws. An older woman screamed as she fell, but as Amelie had planned, the woman landed in a tree. Getting her down might be an issue for later, but it would be better than her ending up as dinner.

“Just aim high and keep their attention! We don’t need to kill all of them, just get the humans out of here!”

Lena looked up, clutching her loaded crossbow tightly as she spotted two townsfolk struggling and screaming for help.

She gulped and took aim, “You got it!”

Lena fired into the air against the rough ride of her horse, missing the harpy by only a few inches. It slowed down and whirled to face her, offended by the bolt.

Given the opening, Amelie fired, the bullet tearing the monster’s throat. Once again, the would-be victim fell into the trees as the harpy spiralled down lifeless.

“That was amazing!” Lena laughed, this time only losing one bolt to trembling hands even as she struggled to reload.

“One more, and then we ride deeper into the forest to lose them!” Amelie called out over the thundering hooves of their horses, pointing upwards where a man was busy calling for help and repeatedly punching the harpy holding him in the leg. It nearly dropped him twice but it held on tightly as the man continued to fight for his life.

“On it!”

Lena took a deep breath and raised her crossbow. She took a moment to feel Sir Chomp’s rhythm beneath her and lined up her shot. Exhaled. Pulled the trigger..

The bolt pierced through the harpy’s wing, stopping it in mid air so suddenly that Amelie missed her shot. It dropped the man, and Lena winced as Beran slammed into a tree face-first. A blood curdling screech rent the air as the harpy struggled around to face its pursuers, those wicked green eyes narrowing in on Lena.

Lena gulped. “Oh fuck.”

“Time to go cherie!”

Yanking the reins to the left, the two made a sharp turn and ran deeper into the forest as the harpy let out a shrill cry.

Lena turned back, finding Amelie close by but with a small horde of flying creatures gaining on them. “Shit shit shit shit shit. Plan? You have a plan right?”

“Yes I do!” Amelie took the leather reins and wrapped them around the horn of her saddle, keeping them secure as she pulled her heels out of her stirrups,”STOP MISSING.”  

Lena gaped as Amelie spun around to sit on Cauchemar backwards, raised the gun to her shoulder, and began firing.

One by one, harpies dropped like flies as her rifle cracked with thunder.

“Bloody show off!” Lena shook her head. Despite being chased by vicious flying women from hell she couldn’t help but laugh. Clearly hunting a dragon wasn’t good enough for them. It was ridiculous, it was insane but this was it, this was her new life and she had no idea how she’d gone so long without it.

Wherever the Witch kept her heart, Lena hoped she could see how much it was pounding. See how much excitement and joy she was feeling despite it being in her clutches. Lena hoped more than ever that the Witch knew that she could not control her anymore.

But this thought was promptly cut off as Lena turned back to face forward just in time to notice the harpy she had shot had not only flown ahead without her noticing, but was now right in front of her. Wicked talons dug into her shoulders, and she screamed as they tore through flesh and lifted her right off her horse.

“Aaahhhh damnit damnit Ame! Amelie help! I fucked up I fucked up I fucked up I fucked-”

The harpy, still wounded but determined, kept a tight hold on Lena as it struggled to fly forward. For only an instant Amelie and Lena made eye contact, and a flash of surprise and horror crossed her face before she hopped up, standing on the saddle for only a moment to launch herself forward.

Amelie’s arms wrapped around Lena’s waist and held on. The harpy screeched at the additional weight and struggled to fly. It glared down balefully at the two before opening it’s claws and letting them go with another ear shattering screech.

They slammed into the ground, the impact separating them as they rolled and slid to a pathetic stop. Both of their horses continued to sprint into the darkness, leaving the two behind as the last remaining harpies circled them from above like vultures.

Lena groaned, pushing herself to lie on her back, her shoulders pulsing with pain as they bled. Her ankle was most likely twisted, and if they lived to see tomorrow she wouldn’t be looking forward to all the bruises and injuries that she’d accumulated through the fight.

“Sh….shit fuck. Why didn’t you shoot it!?” Lena huffed, staring up at the circling monsters in the air.

Somewhere off to the side, Amelie coughed.

“Shut up. I panicked.”

Lena wanted to laugh. Spit back some witty comment. She opened her mouth to do exactly that,  but was cut off by the flap of wings and a rotting stench alighting on the ground beside her. The harpy bared its teeth and let out hideous shriek so loud that her ears rang.

Lena yelped and scrambled backwards.

The harpy was hunched over, Lena’s arrow still burrowed deep into its left wing but its green eyes, large and piercing blazed with fury, and it was all pointed straight at Lena.

It stood up on its hind bird-like legs, standing nearly six feet tall with its wings outstretched with a span twice it’s height. Dark brown and black feathers lined its body, fading into the torso of a human woman. Dark, unruly black hair fell over its and face in a chaotic mess, but did little to cover its mouth as its jaw unhinged. Several rows of razor sharp teeth glinted in the light, and it screamed.   

Every instinct begged her to move, but Lena was frozen, her eyes wide and hands useless at her sides even as her brain screamed at her to grab the knife from her belt.

It stalked towards her, looming over her hunched figure. She gulped. This was it, wasn’t it? Teeth neared her face, bared in an awful snarl, and Lena whimpered.

A flurry of motion pushed her to the ground, slamming her eyes shut, and a dull roar cut through the haze of pain. She snapped them back open, only to find Amelie crouched over her body on all fours, staring down the harpy.

Her teeth were bared and she growled through extended fangs, her eyes deep crimson and full of hatred. She snarled again, the inhuman sound sending a shiver of fear through Lena’s spine.

Lena couldn’t breathe.

It wasn’t louder than the shrieks of the harpies, but the dull roar settled somewhere in her gut, setting off every primal instinct to _run_.  

The harpy shrunk back in fear, its eyes wide in surprise as it curled it’s wings inward and stepped backwards.

Its head tilted as it assessed the new threat. It lunged forward once more, screeching and flapping its wings. Lena could see the muscles in its arms taut with tension, but Amelie did not budge. Keeping herself between it and Lena, she took in a deep breath and snarled once again, louder this time, stronger and from her chest.

The harpy shrieked back weakly, backing away slowly it dipped its head low as if to avoid eye contact.

But just as the thought of trying again crossed it’s face, a familiar thundercrack shattered the tension and a bullet hit the harpy right between its eyes, grey matter splattering on the tree behind the now lifeless corpse that slumped to the ground.

Lena blinked. Amelie was still crouched over her. Then who?

Lena dropped herself to lie flat on her back and push her head against the ground just enough to look upside down and behind her.

A third, older a woman wrapped in a dark brown cloak stood behind them with Amelie’s gun in her grasp, the barrel still smoking.

Lena’s eyes widened as the woman pulled back her hood and a beautiful white braid draped over her shoulder. It was a face that she had not seen in a very long time.

“Ana!?”

Her relief was short lived as Ana pointed the gun at the vampire.

“Don’t move.”

Amelie, whipped around, her attention now on the newcomer. She snarled, low and full of warning. Ana pulled back the hammer of the rifle and took aim. Lena sat up in a panic, ignoring the sharp throbbing of her shoulders and ankles as she did so and waved her off.

“Wh-whoa whoa wait! Ana, wait! She’s with me!”

She didn’t look very convinced and Amelie had no intention of moving away, the two were locked in an intense staredown.

With Lena caught in the middle.

“Shit shit shit…”

The air erupted into angry cries. The remaining harpies were done waiting. Ana quickly picked a new target as another harpy swooped in, talons out with the intention to grab another victim, but her aim was true, and she shot it down between the eyes once again before casually stepping aside as its limp body dropped to the ground beside her.

“Lena we have to leave!” she called out, taking aim at another.

Lena did not answer back. She had more pressing issues at hand as she stared up into the blood red eyes above her.

Amelie’s body shook violently, her hands balled into fists and her fingers digging into the ground as she fought to regain herself.

“C’mon love, snap out of it! Please!” Lena begged, her hands hesitantly reaching up, her motions cautious. Amelie remained still, her teeth bared and brows furrowed in concentration as she forced herself to try and break out of this animalistic trigger.

“Amelie please wake up!” she tried again, holding her face in both hands.

The humanity returned to her crimson eyes for just a moment, and Amelie whimpered..

“I… I can’t… .”

“She’s going to tear you apart and we don’t have a lot of time!” Ana yelled back at Lena.

Lena bit her lip.

“Just… just give me a minute!”

It was a terrible idea, but it was the best one she had.

She reached over her chest and pulled her small black vest over her shoulder to grab her sleeve, torn at the shoulder where talons pierced at the fabric and flesh. She pulled at the hole in the blood stained fabric until it ripped open, exposing her bloody shoulder. Amelie’s eyes zeroed in on the wound and the shaking intensified.

“You’ll thank me later… I hope.” Lena mumbled to her, though mostly to herself, as she grabbed Amelie by the back of the head and pulled her in, bringing her mouth directly onto her wounded shoulder.

For all she knew it could have ignited something worse and she would have been drained dry or torn apart but by some miracle, none of these things happened.

Lena closed her eyes tightly, awaiting at least a bite but it never came. Amelie reacted immediately and her mouth clamping down over the bleeding wounds without even the slightest hint of fangs. Only a surprisingly warm tongue desperately dragging along her skin, mopping up every bit of blood that she could get to.

Lena gulped, instantly regretting her decision as a hand wrapped around her waist, pulling her closer followed by the softest moans that sent her face on fire. Worst of all, it wasn’t… terrible.

Strange, if not absolutely insane, but _definitely_ not terrible. Not at _all._

Fingers brushed her cheek, and Amelie let out a gasp of surprise and dropped Lena as if she were the one bitten and immediately scrambled away.

Lena quickly sat up and groaned when the world spun around her. Her eyes found Amelie backed up against a tree, her golden eyes returned and looking absolutely horrified with her lips stained in blood. Her blood.

They stared at each other, the sky still shrieking with harpies and the steady thundercrack of the rifle being fired in the distance, but for a moment there was only stunned silence between the two.

Until a bright yellow dart sank into Amelie’s neck, that is.

“Ow! What- ”

Amelie crumpled over mid complaint, flat on her face and completely unconscious.

Lena whipped around, finding Ana there with a blow dart in her grasp.

“We need to leave, they’ll regroup soon.”

Lena looked up to the sky. Only a few more remained, circling, still deciding if the prey was worth the fight. Lena wasn’t willing to stay to find out. She scrambled up to her feet and limped as quickly as she could to Amelie’s side.

“Lena! We have to go!”

“I’m not leaving without her!”

“I only have one shot left Lena, we have to move!” Ana huffed, keeping the gun poised and aimed as a harpy screeched down at them.  

_What would Amelie do?_

Probably leave, Lena thought. But they were stranded, with no way for her to move Amelie out. _If only the horses were here…_ Lena’s brows furrowed. _Wait_.

Lena brought two fingers to her lips and whistled.

“Cauchemar! Come on boy! Amelie needs help!”

“Lena I swear to my gods of the sands I will leave you here if you don’t-”

Another harpy screamed as it swooped in, aiming for Lena and Amelie’s unconscious body. Ana took aim but paused when she felt the ground shake.

Cauchemar let out a high pitched neigh as he ran up and intercepted the harpy, rising up on his hind legs, and kicking with his front ones, frightening the harpy enough to back off with a scream.

“You are the actual best! Double the carrots for you when we make it out of here!” Lena laughed, tears of relief forming in her eyes as she grabbed Amelie’s arm and placed it over her shoulder to hoist her up. Her injured ankle buckled under the weight and she swore.

“Don’t suppose the other one is just as loyal?” Ana muttered as she ran over to assist, pulling Amelie’s dead weight against her.

Lena shook her head, Sir Chomp was long gone for all she knew but there was no time for that. Together they hoisted the unconscious woman over the saddle and buckled her in.

“Sorry Ana, looks like we’re about to get real close.”

Lena hopped up first, grasping the reins she held her hand out and helped Ana up. Cauchemar snorted, annoyed at the extra weight, but as the screeching continued, he was quick to make a run for it out of there.

 

* * *

 

“Just when I thought meeting you was strange enough. Fading away like the seasons changing”

Lena laughed but winced slightly as Ana tightened the bandage around her shoulder.

“Now I find you fighting harpies and letting a vampire feed from you?” the old woman raised her brow above the eye patch as she stared at Lena.

“It’s been a _very_ strange few months Ana, but I won’t lie, it’s great to see you again.”

Under Ana’s instructions, they rode off into the night towards a small mountain deep into the forest. Unable to get past the thicket of trees and rock, it was no longer worth the effort for the harpies and they retreated, making off with a few cattle but no humans.

Ana’s camp was small, meant for one person but rather homey despite it being temporary. A small tent was pitched up beside a river and  several rods were stuck in the soft mud beside, lined with thin line to catch fish while she was away. A teapot hung over the fire and gurgled merrily.  

Amelie was laid down on Ana’s bed roll while Ana took to cleaning Lena’s wounds. She ground up what looked like weeds and brightly colored leaves into a poultice, adding warm water and stirring it with her finger until the mixture had gathered a strange smelling yellow paste.

Lena’s nose scrunched up but she said nothing as it was applied to her wounds before being properly wrapped. She moaned with relief. The pain was numbed nearly instantly, and saving for the constraining white linen bandages she felt nothing. Her right shoulder had no need to be cleaned or wrapped.

It would be a question for later, and possibly once alone, but somehow Amelie had quite literally licked her clean, to the point that even the gashes in her flesh were nearly sealed shut, leaving faint scars in their wake.

“I hope you know I have some questions,” Ana said gently, patting Lena on her right knee. Catching the hint, Lena quickly reached down removed her shoe, carefully and with minor difficulty as her twisted ankle was now swollen.

“Ow...yeah...I have questions for you too, but I think it would be best to wake Amelie up first.”

Ana hummed in thought, smearing the rest of the yellow paste around Lena’s ankle and just as before she felt numb and let out a sigh of relief.

“This must be that ‘Huntress’ I’ve heard so much about. With such outlandish stories following her, I’m not surprised that she’s exactly what she hunts,” she laughed, putting aside the bowl of paste to wrap her foot in bandages.

“I trust her with my life Ana, she’s saved me more times than I can count.”

She sighed, rolling her eye.

“Very well, but you understand if I keep the gun close yes?”

Lena nodded, rotating her foot as she finished up. Her luck never ceased to amaze her. What were the odds that she’d run into the healing alchemist right when she needed it? She picked up her shoe with one and and hobbled her way back to the bed roll where Amelie remained still as the grave, with the bright yellow dart still lodged on the side of her neck.

With Amelie’s flask in one hand, Lena gently held the dart and pulled it out in one quick swipe.

The very moment the metal needle left her skin Amelie sat up, eyes wide and gasping for air that she did not need.

“Hey, hey easy Ame, easy.” Lena mumbled gently, grasping her by the arm,”It’s me. Relax, you’re ok.”

“What…” Amelie blinked hard, staring at the girl beside her for a moment before her eyes darted away to study the surroundings.

She could have sworn that they were somewhere else and in danger just moments ago.

Amelie held her face in her hand as pain crept along her neck and pounded against her skull in a sharp migrane,”What was that?”

“Sleep dart, probably potent enough to knock out an elephant,” Lena offered a sheepish smile.”Apparently works pretty well on vampires, you dropped like a newborn calf you did.”

Amelie wanted to glare at her, but Lena was quick to pop open the top of the flask and place it in her grasp, instantly distracting her. She swiped it from her hands and guzzled it down like a thirsting man.

It took her a moment to regain herself from drinking it all in one go but finally she let out a long sigh and handed it back to Lena. She then caught sight of Lena’s shirt, red staining her shoulders.

The memories came back to her in a flash - the harpy, her crouching protectively over Lena, the warm blood...

She looked up at the girl with guilt and fear writ on her face, “Lena, I…”

Lena followed her gaze and quickly shook her head, “Hey, no it’s ok, Ana patched me up I’m ok. I’m ok. Oh! This is the woman whom I met in the hills. The one who helped me with my… issues.”

Amelie turned to follow Lena’s sight, finding an older woman patiently sitting on a rock. Her rifle rested in the woman’s lap, and she smiled politely.

The woman named Ana was dressed in an old dirty brown cloak that wrapped around her chest, her boots covered in dirt and mud, the soles nearly gone bare from traveling. Her hands were covered in calluses, yet the look in her eye was as warm as her smile. But Amelie was not fooled, she remembered those clean shots. Ana had no reason to fear her with such skills at her disposal.

“While I am begrudgingly grateful for what you’ve done, dare I ask what an old woman like yourself is doing out here alone?” Amelie asked warily.

“Yeah. Ana the last time we spoke you were searching for your daughter? But that was a while ago… and literal miles in the opposite direction.”  

Ana sighed, her eye turning downcast and shoulders sagging.

Lena sat down close to Amelie, leaning on her slightly to give Ana her undivided attention.

“It would appear that there has been a sighting of Fareeha in Adlersbrunn.”

Amelie groaned,“Of course. Adlersbrunn seems like the place to be.”

Lena didn’t respond immediately. She stared at Ana for a long moment..

“You told me that your daughter was dead and you were looking for a body,” she said almost accusingly.

“I know.”

Amelie fought the urge to laugh,“Let me guess. The Witch?”

“Apparently she has been using my daughter’s body as a puppet. I’ve heard tales of a tall woman in armor with a falcon on the breastplate. There is no denying that it’s her.”

Amelie scoffed,“ _Necromancers_. Not even the dead can rest.”

Lena swore under her breath. Was there no end to the Witch’s reach? What couldn’t she do to those who crossed her?

Ana shrugged,“That’s my story, now what about you two, hm? I never expected you to take up monster hunting Lena.”

Lena felt small all of a sudden as Ana stared at her with an intense gaze, her hands found each other in her lap and began to twiddle her thumbs together as she coughed.

“I uh… kinda hired Amelie... to kill the witch for my heart”

A beat of silence followed.

“Lena” she started slowly,”Are you insane?”

Amelie was quick to nod in agreement,“ Yes. Yes she is.”

“Oh come off, it so are you!”

“Child, she is a vampire, you are a very squishy human girl.”

“Which is why I hired her!” Lena huffed,“I have literally nothing else going for me Ana. If I can get my heart back then great, if not then… well, I’m going to die anyway”

Ana hummed in thought, her one eye staring at the young woman for a moment.

It didn’t seem like so long ago that she had found her nearly dead in the middle of the woods one night. Crying for death to take her away as her body fluctuated from their world to another, yet now a few months later here she was. Determined, tired and terribly exhausted from the madness that was her life but fighting.

She wanted her to be happy. That’s what all healers wanted -  for their patients to get better and stronger, to be better than when they find them.

Yet the pit of her stomach was filled with dread as the vampire sitting beside Lena looked away, her golden eyes settling in her lap, lost in thought.

It was too close for her comfort. She knew a starving vampire when she saw one. She was known to put such creatures to sleep and leave them out in the open to let the morning sun take them away.

“And this is assuming that the Huntress doesn’t do it before the witch does?”

Lena rolled her eyes, but Ana didn’t miss the way Amelie’s hand clenched into a tight fist. “Ana come on-”

“She’s right, I could have killed you.”

Lena’s head whipped around to face Amelie. “But you didn’t!” She didn’t miss the way she looked away from her, averting her eyes and fiddling with her hands.

Ana shook her head, taking the rifle from her lap she stood up slowly. She groaned and cursed her tired knees before approaching the two that were quietly locked in an awkward silence.

“It’s your life you’re putting on the line. I’m not your mother and I did what I could,” she huffed, standing before the two who seemed to shrink under her stern tone.

“The sun will be rising in a few hours, if you ride now you can make it back into town before burning up.”

Amelie nodded slowly, standing up as Ana held the rifle out to her.

For a moment they stared at each other, Amelie’s hand grasping the barrel of the rifle, but Ana didn’t give it up immediately. Not before staring her down.

 

_Such sad eyes._

 

Finally she let go, watching as Amelie turned on her heel with her gun and returned to her horse, who was quietly munching on grass beside the river.

“Ana come with us,” Lena urged, slowly climbing to her feet as Ana turned to walk away,”We’re going to Adlersbrunn anyway.”

The old woman laughed, looking around her camp and gesturing at it all. It would take some time to pack up and Adlersbrunn wasn’t going anywhere anytime soon.

“I’ll see you there Lena, you can count on that. But I think you and your companion have things to work out,” Ana said, pointing out towards the vampire who was quietly stroking her horse on his nose.

“Ana I meant what I said, I trust her.”

“I know you do, but that doesn’t mean you should take this lightly.”

Lena opened her mouth to reply but fell quiet, all of her original fears were returning. The inevitable repercussions for riding alongside a vampire, but this time, she wasn’t just a hired gun with fangs.

“I also meant what I said before,” Lena’s shoulders sagged as her eyes trailed back to Amelie,”I don’t have anyone else either.”

Ana laid a sympathetic hand on Lena’s good shoulder and offered the young girl a small smile,“Then do this right, and be careful. You still have things to do in this world and I’d hate to see it end prematurely.”

They exchanged quick goodbyes and a hug before parting ways.

Lena wanted to stay longer, catch up with Ana and all of the amazing things she managed to do despite her strange affliction, but time was of the essence. It was unfortunate that they would see each other again so soon under terrible circumstances. Perhaps afterwards she would buy Ana a drink. She owed her that much.

With a huff, Lena returned to Amelie’s side, her fingers nervously clutching the side of her trousers. Sir Chomp was gone, possibly still running off into the woods in fear thus leaving Lena and Amelie to share Cauchemar while a very obvious tension still hung in the air between them, there was no use in stalling. The Dragon was right after all, without human blood Amelie was wasting away and if they wished to fight the Witch of the Wilds, then what choice did she have but to help with this problem?

“Amelie…”

For a moment the woman didn’t answer, keeping her eyes focused on tightening the bags strapped to the saddle instead. She finally looked up, but not towards Lena.

“Come on cherie, I don’t feel like roasting today” she huffed, grasping the horn of the saddle to hoist herself upwards. A hand grabbed her by the arm, stopping her.

Lena scowled. “Are you really just going to avoid this?”

Amelie’s eyes narrowed dangerously, and she shrugged Lena’s hand from her arm,“I could have killed you, what more do you want to talk about?” she hissed, possibly with more bite than she intended but Lena didn’t budge.

“Feed from me.”

Amelie stopped, frozen in place by Lena’s determined gaze and words.

“What.”

“Look at you. Amelie, you look better. There is color in your cheeks, your eyes are _brighter_ and your scars are disappearing. You look me in the eyes right now and tell me you don’t feel better after that tiny bit you took from me.”

She said nothing.

“Maybe if I give you a bit of me, maybe wean you into it so you don’t lose control -”

“No.” Amelie’s words were sharp and precise,” Out of the question.”

“Amelie it’s not like you’re hurting me at all, just-”

“I said _No,_ ” she said once more, shaking her head as she grabbed the horn of the saddle and pulled herself up.

“Get on the horse, we are not talking about this.”

They stared at each other for a moment, Lena’s brows furrowed in annoyance but confusion as well. She was well aware of the risks - but they were hers to take, weren’t they?

Amelie silently offered her a hand.

Lena glared at it a bit longer, but eventually caved with a defeated huff. She took the hand and let herself be pulled onto Cauchemar.

And again, they were off. At first, Lena made no physical contact. She crossed her arms over her chest in defiance, angry at Amelie’s unmovable _ridiculous_ stubbornness.

For the first time in days, they rode in silence, the lingering tension of words unsaid suffocating.

“Do you have any other bright ideas then?” Lena finally muttered, her tone gentle.

She leaned in, her head thumping against Amelie’s back and resting between her shoulder blades, “Because I swear to god if you plan on leaving me after this is all over, then I’m going to hunt you down myself.”

Amelie’s heart might have been dead, but it was still in her chest, and as warm arms wrapped around her waist she felt it clench painfully. The words were a solid blow to her gut as Lena whispered quietly against her back.

“I’m not going anywhere without you.”

This was a mistake, a terrible mistake and if she was smart, she would cut this off before making the same terrible mistake that she did once before.

 

Amelie quietly reached up and intertwined her fingers with Lena’s as they rode into the night in silence.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you to Molly, Specs, Brooke and Beran for being amazing patreons!


	16. A Hero's Welcome

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sometimes it doesn't pay to be the hero or maybe Amelie just isn't trying hard enough.

The slow trot of the horse walking through the forest, the cool breeze, and the chirping of crickets eventually lulled Lena to sleep. 

She sat up closer, pressing her entire front against Amélie’s back, still holding tightly to her waist with her face buried between her shoulder blades. 

Their ride had been quiet, the tension of their disagreement slowly fading into the chilly night air. Amélie didn’t even notice Lena was even asleep at first, so lost in her own thoughts that she only became aware of it when they were interrupted by the gentle snoring from behind her. 

Amélie rolled her eyes and held onto her hands, keeping her steady even as Lena fell limp into her deep slumber. She might have also pulled Cauchemar into a calmer walking pace - they weren’t in a big hurry, it was still a few hours until sunrise and Lena deserved the rest after a successful hunt. 

Also having a warm body around her was nice. She wasn’t in any particular rush to end that. 

Lena eventually mumbled something in her sleep, her arms tightening around her waist as she yawned and nuzzled her face against Amélie’s back. 

“Go back to sleep chérie, we’re almost there.” 

“Mmkay.”

Amélie smiled as Lena drifted off again.

“What did I get myself into…” she sighed, brushing her thumbs over Lena’s knuckles. This was an absolutely terrible idea but... 

The soft hoot of an owl broke her out of her own thoughts.

Her eyes shot upwards towards the source and she felt a sick twist in her stomach upon finding it. 

It was a owl. A small owl one at that and to anyone else it appeared to be harmless like any other nocturnal bird. But Amélie knew better, it’s black feathers and stark white moon like face accentuated it’s deep purple eyes that stared down at her, perched innocently on a nearby tree branch. 

 

Of course, she was fool to thinking she was safe from the eyes of the Owl Witch.

 

_ If she’s here then that means he isn’t far... _

 

Amélie mumbled a soft apology to her companion before clicking her tongue and giving Cauchemar a gentle nudge with her heel. He snorted in reply and picked up the pace while the owl quietly watched them go. 

 

* * *

 

Amélie had to do a double take when they finally entered the small sleepy town. 

In the dead of night she wasn’t surprised to find it appearing to be deserted save for the tavern inn, candles still lit and welcoming any late night travelers like themselves. However, the surprise came as she realized there was a familiar horse in the stable across the way.

“Lena, Lena wake up,” she said, gently patting Lena’s hands from her waist. 

She snorted slightly in surprise before returning to the waking world. She blinked to remove the sleep from her eyes as she slipped her arms from Amélie’s waist to let out a long yawn and stretch. 

“Mm...what….what I miss?” she groaned, still in a daze.  

“It would appear our riding situation has returned to normal.”

Lena paused mid stretch, frozen in place as the sound of teeth nibbling on a fence caught her attention. 

Sure enough there he was, Sir Chomp was back in the stable as if he were left there, still munching on whatever he could get his greedy mouth on.

“I’ll be damned!” Lena laughed, the brown horse’s ears perked up at the familiar voice, but did nothing to remove his mouth from the wooden fence keeping him in. 

Wide awake and suddenly bursting with energy despite her deep slumber just moments ago, Lena hopped off Cauchemar to greet her horse. However, immediate regret struck as she took a single step forward and almost crumpled over as the pain from her ankle shot up her leg and shook her body. It was a rather painful reminder that Ana’s remedies were not instant. 

Amélie was quick to reach down and grab her arm before she fell face first, holding her in place as Lena hissed in pain. 

“Ow ow ow ok right that was stupid.” she groaned. 

“Take it easy, he’s not going anywhere,” Amélie shook her head, pulling her to feet but carefully as to let Lena readjust and stand with more weight on her good ankle.

Trying again, Lena carefully hobbled over, limping slightly towards her horse but opting to stand out of biting range beside him. Leaning over the stable doors, she was more than relieved to find all of her things still strapped to the saddle and put aside. His coat appeared to be recently brushed and a generous supply of apples and carrots had been devoured from a bucket hanging in front of him.  

“Thank god you came back, you nearly made off with all my clothes, mate.” she laughed, thankful for the miracle this was but it was short lived as she swatted his nose. 

Sir Chomp whined, blinking back in surprise and removed his teeth from the fence as Lena glared at him.

“What gives?! Runnin’ off like that? We’re gonna be running into much scarier things soon you know! I need you to buck up and stick around!” 

He only blinked at her, staring for a long moment before snorting hot air in her face and returning to biting the post.

Lena grumbled, furiously wiping her face with her sleeve,“Dumb horse.” she muttered, but resigned to stroking his neck,”But I’m glad you’re back.”

“It takes time.” Amélie called out over her shoulder as she carefully ushered her black steed into the stable next to Sir Chomp. 

“I trained Cauchemar from birth, and his mother before him.”

Lena stood there for a moment, absent mindedly watching her unbuckle straps and remove the saddle with practiced grace as a question she never bothered asking before surfaced.

“Love, how old are you?”

At this Amélie paused, holding the large saddle by the horn with one hand and little to no effort as she shot a quick glare at the girl.  

“Do you really want to know that answer?” 

Lena opened her mouth to answer but as Amélie’s brow raised slightly in warning she opted to close it instead. 

Amélie smiled and returned to work.

“Fair ‘nuff but still! That’s time I don’t have,” Lena huffed.

Satisfied for now, Amélie stepped away from her things now packed away until morning and casually patted Cauchemar along his nose as a goodnight and well done. For some reason, suddenly that didn’t seem enough.

True, she was not as forward with affection the way Lena was - but he did at least deserve something for returning and saving their lives. So she stopped, turning back around to face her loyal steed who looked at her curiously. 

Very clearly taking a note from watching Lena’s interactions she reached up and found the special spot on his neck and scratched it. 

He immediately leaned into it and nickered happily. 

Once again, something in Amélie’s chest clenched, and she was unable to contain the smile on her face. 

“That’s alright” she started, her other hand stroking his nose,”Monsieur Chomp will just have to get used to it when we go hunting again.”

There was no reply at first, though she didn’t realize that initially, lost in the utter joy Cauchemar was emitting from receiving the extra attention he knew was rare from her. But eventually she did turn around and found Lena leaning against the stable doors with her arms folded over and her chin resting on top with a soft smile, watching the moment between rider and horse. 

However upon being caught staring, Lena quickly stood up, clearing her throat,“S-so...um…Does this mean...you won’t send me away or run off?”  

Amélie watched her for a moment, falling quiet. 

A part of her knew she would eventually have to tell the rest of her story, the parts she purposely kept out. At first she was so sure it was for Lena’s safety, but now she wasn’t so sure. One hundred years or not somehow it was all still fresh.

But she wasn’t ready, not yet. 

“We... can talk about it later” she paused to ensure she caught those soft brown eyes with sincerity,”I promise.” 

Lena, though hesitant for a moment, slowly nodded and offered a smile,“Alright then. I’m going to hold you to that.” 

“You have my word. Now come on, let’s get you inside. If we’re lucky we’ll get a free room for chasing the harpies away.”

Lena’s face scrunched up in disbelief as Amélie quietly closed the small gate behind her.

“Whoa whoa hold on,  _ just _ a free room? No way, you gotta milk this! I need some real food in me and after all that I’m not paying a copper!” she pouted, crossing her arms in defiance while still leaning on the stable doors to relieve the pressure from her bad ankle. 

Amélie rolled her eyes and shook her head, “Sometimes being the hero doesn’t pay much Lena.”

Lena snorted. 

“Oh come on, that’s cause you’re not doing it right. Now, trust me on this-”

 

* * *

 

Working the graveyard shift in the tavern wasn’t the best or the most exciting job in the world, but someone had to greet those weary travelers when they stumbled in from the cold. 

However considering the recent activity of harpies invading, taking cattle and a few people before swiftly leaving as quickly as they came, Molly and Specs were very intent on staying up and alert just in case. 

By some miracle those that were reported missing, taken by shrieking monsters by sharp talons all returned home. Scared, bloodied and bruised - but alive, and all sharing the same story of being dropped from the sky as those talons fell limp from a single shot by mysterious figures on horseback. 

Yet there wasn’t a single sign of their saviors.

Well, save for a very terrified and very lost brown horse they vaguely recalled being named Sir Chomp. 

The two tavern girls were very quick to treat him well, feed him and brush him just in case. 

They also saved some garlic bread, still warm and carefully covered in towels in hopes of keeping them that way just in case. 

And keep a single room available, just in case. 

“Two gold that they don’t show.” 

Brooke stared at him from across the table for a long moment,”How could you say that? They could be dead for all we know!”

“But aren’t they professionals? I’m sure nothing terrible happened, I’m just saying they might not show up tonight” he grinned but immediately hissed in pain from scrunching his face too much. Thick linen bandages wrapped around his face, his nose busted and face generally scratched and torn after falling face first into a tree. It was better than straight down, plummeting to the ground though. 

Brooke had made it out alright with bandages around her arms and shoulders, finding it difficult to move much. Her butter churning days were on hold for now, but she fought through the pain to hold her forehead and sigh at the man who was intent on putting two gold pieces on the table.

“Beran, you have a gambling problem and I will not-”

The front door shattered the quiet as it slammed into the wall by the force of someone’s kick. 

“We need a room.” 

There in the doorway was The Huntress, holding Lena bridal style who groaned slightly, her head weakly pressed against her shoulder and clutching her shoe as her ankle was wrapped up. 

“Huntress, please it’s not that bad…” Lena mumbled quietly, attempting to move her ankle to prove her point but let out a sharp hiss of pain instead.

Beran and Brooke, sitting in a table near the bar could only stare at the two in disbelief as the tall woman slowly walked inside. However after a moment to gather her thoughts, Brooke reached out and swiped the two gold from the table. 

Upon hearing the commotion, Molly poked her head out of the kitchen and gasped,“Lena! Are you alright?! Specs! Specs get over here they came back!”

The two women, nearly falling over the counter ran over out of the kitchen and into the main room just as Amélie carefully placed Lena in a chair. Her shirt was stained in blood at the shoulders where the cloth was torn by familiar claws, and though she was bandaged she still struggled to move them. Amélie was quick to pull up another chair closer to allow Lena a foot rest for her bad ankle. 

“H-hey Molly, Specs I’m so glad you both are safe.” Lena smiled weakly, panting slightly as she clutched her mysterious bruised ribs.

“Thanks to you two! What happened? Do you need a doctor we can-”

“No no, I’m fine we just came back from there...I know its late but if you have a spare room I...think we still have enough coin for one?”

Amélie bit her lip, forcing herself to look away in hopes of not blowing their cover, Lena was too good at this. Her big brown eyes, the pained look on her face and her soft voice that grew in pitch as she looked upon the tavern girls with desperation. It was no surprise as Beran and Brooke jumped to their feet.

“Absolutely not! Let me pay for it, I’m sure I’d be eaten alive if you hadn’t come in time.”

“Same for me! Let me buy you both a drink yeah? It’s the least I can do.” 

Lena smiled widely and let out a sigh of relief as she watched the two slap gold pieces on the table in front of Molly,”Oh thank you all so much we really appreciate it.”

For a brief moment Amélie looked down and caught Lena’s gaze, who looked up at her with a knowing smile and winked while the humans around them ran around getting to work. Molly sent the other two off to prepare the room to make extra accommodations and Specs made a beeline for the bar to fill up mugs of ale. 

“I know it’s late but I don’t suppose you could feed this helpless idiot as well?” Amélie called out, pulling up a chair to lounge in beside Lena, ruffling up her hair as she went. Lena grumbled but Amélie didn’t miss the small smile that she failed to hide before returning to her victim facade. 

“Of course! We even have bread here at the ready for you!”

The welling up of tears in her eyes were no longer fake as Molly brought a small basket for garlic bread to her table. 

“You continue to be the light of my life Molly,” Lena said, voice cracking as she fought the tears, reaching out and promptly shoving a small roll into her mouth. Amélie’s nose scrunched up slightly at the bitter stench and she casually scooted away from her companion. 

Clearly playing the injured hero card was a complete success. The two were given pints of ale in record time and the soft smell of cooked meats on the fire gently wafted into the tavern. It was unfortunate, even someone whose diet was strictly blood it smelled good but she politely declined and took to her drink. 

Beran and Brooke eventually returned with a room ready for them, although it was still one bed they did throw in extra pillows for ankle support. Amélie shook her head, taking a long gulp of her drink to hide her smile. It had like a charm, and though she would have been happy to end it here, Lena however wasn’t quite done yet. 

“You must be exhausted, I can’t wait to hear about what happened in the morning.” 

Lena’s eyes sparkled, her mouth full of bread and drink she struggled to swallow it all in one go to quickly answer.

“Why wait? I can tell you all about it now and what a bloody story it is too! I still have to tell you about the dragon!”

It was hours until sundown, the group of humans were beyond tired, waiting anxiously for their saviors while staying on edge for possibly another attack but now as they watched Lena completely destroy her dinner plate they all became captured once again. Her excitement gripping them like a hook to her tale made it impossible to think of sleep.

“A dragon?!”

“I thought they were all dead...”

“Why would you hunt a dragon? Seriously that’s nonsense.” 

Lena grinned, shaking her head, waving her chicken leg to accentuate her point,”No way mates! This one did a number on Huntress real good too.” she said, pointing to her companion with said meat.  

They all fell into a quiet moment of awe, staring at the Huntress in realization of the long scars along her face.

Amélie just shrugged, playing along if it meant free room and drink.

“Would you believe me if I said I’ve had it worse?”

“Stop showin’ off, I nearly died today” Lena huffed, nudging her with her elbow like a child jealous of the attention. 

Amélie laughed, leaning back in her seat with her drink in hand, “Then please by all means, the floor is yours.” 

“Good so we were climbing this mountain yeah? HUGE claw marks etched into solid stone! As big as me!”

At this Amélie snorted, fighting the urge to smile so big to expose herself she hid her face in her mug,“That’s not a very good example Lena, you’re tiny.”

Specs nearly choked on her drink as she and the others shared a hearty laugh.

“Oh piss off they were still big! Anyway-”

 

A sharp cry of horses whining cut off her words. 

 

Silence and panic settled into the group who exchanged worried glances at each other before everyone slowly turned to the windows. Though difficult to see through the thick dirty windows, one could barely make out the silhouette of the two horses within their tables moving frantically, clearly spooked.   

“What was tha-” 

“I’ll check it out” Amélie said, taking a long last drink before standing, the chair squeaking slightly behind her,”Even if it’s nothing I’ll take a short walk to make sure.” 

Dropping her cloak from her shoulders onto her chair, she casually glanced over at the crossbow strapped to her belt with an arrow attached to the side ready to be loaded.

Before Lena could question it, Amélie ruffled up her brown hair playfully with a wink as she walked away,“Don’t wait up for me.”

Lena scoffed, waving her off like an annoying fly, ”Don’t stay out too long or the bed is mine” 

“We’ll see about that chérie.” she laughed over her shoulder before leaving the tavern. 

From outside the horses continued to whine but quickly died down as one would assume Amélie calmed them down. 

The group within let out a unified sigh of relief.

Beran groaned, thumping his head against the table,”Gods I’m too stressed out for this… how do you do this for a living?!” 

Lena grinned as her chest swelled with pride, would anyone believe that she was homeless a month ago? Wandering from town to town snatching coin and sleeping in barns?  

She shrugged nonchalantly, taking a quick drink,“You get used to it! So don’t worry about it, she can handle anything.”  

Molly let out a soft sigh, her elbows against the table as she rested her chin on her hands, staring out of the window in a dreamy haze. 

“It must be nice to ride with someone like that...” 

Lena took a large bite of a handful of bread and nodded frantically, taking a moment to swallow before replying, “She’s pretty incredible, wouldn’t trade it for the world!”

“How long have you two…?” Molly’s words trailed away as she pointed to Lena then back towards the cloak where Amélie once was. 

Lena paused a moment, tapping her chin in thought. 

“We met a few weeks ago I think? Time flies when…”

She stopped herself, realizing too late the tone of the question and the curious smiles that watched her, hanging onto every word. 

It all clicked into place and Lena’s face turned bright red. 

“Wait...we’re not...you know...not like that!” she choked on her own spit, sitting up and trying to save herself. 

The group before her stared at her in surprise. 

“You’re not?” 

“Could have fooled me.”

“I thought for sure you two were...”

Lena struggled to find words as she held her hands up in defense,“O-oh no...Ha...no no we uh...just...partners...yeah...just um...” she gulped, feeling regret for making her ankle seem worse than it was. She couldn’t just run out into the night like she desperately wanted to. 

Molly offered a sheepish smile, and though thoroughly not convinced she quietly took Lena’s mug to refill it. 

“Sorry, I didn’t mean to make you uncomfortable you two just seem...close! Yes very close...right?” 

Molly shot a look to the others who were also not very convinced but eventually nodded, playing along. 

Brooke bit her lip, stifling a laugh as she nodded,”Yes...close…”  

She was cornered, and with nowhere to run or hide Lena let out a long sigh of defeat. 

“I mean she saved my life, quite a few times, I owe her everything and...yeah it’s a little complicated but to be perfectly honest...”

She stopped for a moment, feeling a smile creep along her features as she shook her head, unable to believe the confidence in her words as she said:

 

“I’d die for her.”

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A big big thank you to Molly for funding this chapter! Also to Archer (Beran), Specs and Brooke for being wonderful patreons!


	17. A Dangerous Night

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Started a stranger, a lover in danger
> 
> The edge of a knife
> 
> The face of an angel, the heart of a ghost
> 
> Was it a dream?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> What a dangerous night to fall in love
> 
> Don't know why we still hide what we've become
> 
> Do you wanna cross the line?
> 
> We're runnin' out of time
> 
> A dangerous night to fall in love

Amelie stepped out into the night as the horses let out another sharp whine of fear, fidgeting and anxious as they stomped within their tight stables. The source of their distress was made evident when Amelie caught sight of a black shadow perched on the gate. It’s wings spread nearly six feet wide and were flapping menacingly at the two helpless horses, who backed up as far as they could.

Amelie rolled her eyes and sighed.

“There are other ways to get my attention.”

The owl’s head swiveled completely around at the familiar voice, it’s deep purple eyes watching as Amelie approached, bringing her arm out like a perch.

Folding its massive wings back in for a moment, it leapt off the wooden gate, turning mid air to shift its head back onto its body correctly. Amelie grunted as the weight landed on her wrist and changed it’s size back into the small barn owl she had seen on her ride back into town.

“Hello Sombra. It’s been a while, old friend.” Amelie smiled, stroking the black feathers along her chest.

The Owl Witch chirped softly, gently nipping at the gloves playfully before dipping her head down quietly requesting to be pet along the head. Amelie shook her head and obliged, running her fingers along the head down to it’s back.

“It’s good to see you, but I doubt that you’re here for pleasantries?”

Sombra blinked out of the haze of soft petting and stared at her for a moment, turning her head innocently, nearly upside down to accentuate her confusion.

Amelie gave her a wry look. “You can’t fool me. Where is my brother?”

The owl stood upright and opened her wings, shrieking into the night as she took flight over the stable. Amelie’s eyes narrowed, following the silhouette of the owl as a breeze brushed by, bringing with it the scent of blood close by.

With a heavy sigh, she took the crossbow from her belt and held it tightly as she ran, following the main road up. She loaded it with a single bolt, making a sharp turn into a few small alleyways, the scent of blood guiding her was followed by the sound of soft pained whimpers.

Her heels dug into the mud as she turned a corner, skidding to a stop when she spotted two figures in the darkness.

A cloaked figure held a young woman tight in his arms, lazily dragging his tongue along her skin where a thin line of blood dribbled down her neck. He had not bitten her yet, he was just playing with his food, cutting into her throat with the tip of his fangs.

The woman held back a sob, frozen in fear and helpless in his powerful grip but upon seeing another not only a witness but armed brought hope to her eyes and looked at the Huntress with desperate eyes as tears streaked her cheeks.

“Well well looks like it’s your lucky day” he purred, nuzzling his face against her dark hair.

“Let her go.” Amelie said calmly, but her voice was sharp and full of warning as she took aim.

The man pouted,“Just a bite?” he laughed, opening his mouth wider.

He barely had a moment to elongate his fangs to partake before a silver arrow shot him in the arm. He snarled, dropping the girl and immediately backed away clutching his arm in pain.

“I told you to let her go.” Amelie stated, stepping forward to help the terrified woman to her feet. She was still in her sleeping gown, possibly lured out of her home unknowingly to the charm of a handsome vampire. After a quick glance over finding no bites, she nodded, “Go, I’ll take care of this.”

The woman stared at her for a moment, unable to comprehend how close she was to death only to be yanked back into living another day so quickly. She turned back, finding her captor snarling, his mouth wide open with elongated fangs and dark red that enveloped his eyes in rage.

She was quick to run and not look back, leaving the vampire with the Huntress to deal with and pretend this nightmare never happened.

The two stood there, quiet and patient until the woman’s footsteps were no longer heard.

“Was that really necessary?” he huffed, shooting a weak glare at the Huntress as she approached.

“It’s more convincing” she shrugged, grasping his arm in place. She took a hold of the bolt and pulled it out of his arm in one fluid motion. She had purposely shot the side of his bicep, just enough to make it look worse than it was; she knew he could take a simple silver bolt. It would take much more than that to take him out.

The man grumbled, picking at the hole in his black suit. “You’re paying for this.” He said accusingly, seemingly unconcerned about the soft sizzling of flesh underneath the fabric.. He sighed, slipping his cloak back over his shoulder and faced Amelie.

“Amelie.”

“Gabriel.”

It had been seventy five years since she last saw him. Not a thing had changed since.

Dark red eyes that seemed to glow in the darkness, deep scars along his face from hunters who had dared to try, and a devilish grin that was equal parts charming and unsettling brought back old memories.

He looked down at her, and his features softened as he smiled.

“It’s so good to see you,” he laughed, reaching out and gently cupping her face in his hands. His eyes narrowed as he inspected her features.

She wasn’t surprised by his shock - she was a lost vampire, barely able to fend for herself before she left the manor of the Vampire Queen. Amelie offered a small smile, clutching his arms and enjoying his comforting presence. It had been far too long.

“Look at you, I almost didn’t recognize you.” he exclaimed with a smile, his thumb brushing over her eyebrow along her scars,“What did this to you?”

The tone of his voice shifted to anger, his protective nature returning and making Amelie laugh. She shook her head gently out of his grasp,”Red Dragon...it’s a long story but it’s good to see you too, Gabriel.”

She paused a moment, catching movement at the corner of her eye,“There are easier ways to get a hold of me.”

Sombra chirped, ruffling her feathers as she innocently preened herself while sitting atop a roof not far from them.

Gabriel shrugged,“I didn’t want to sully your reputation, speaking of which - I’m truly honored,   _Huntress._ ” he said teasingly.

If she could blush in embarrassment she would, instead she waved him off and crossed her arms in defiance, looking away as she explained herself with annoyance in her voice. “Someone started it, and it stuck.” She looked back with a small smile playing on her lips. ”But I must say, though I have missed you dearly, I have to ask what brings you here.”

“Don’t suppose you’d believe me if I said I just missed you?”

“Absolutely not.”

Gabriel snorted a laughed,”Fair enough. I’m sure you’re aware of the strange goings on over the mountain.”

“More than I should be, unfortunately.”

“I don’t like it Amelie.” he stated, his arms crossed over his chest as he took a few steps out of the alleyway with her close behind. He scowled, his gaze roamin over the sleepy town and towards the mountains,”Those harpies were frightened out of their own territory. Whatever is happening over there, _she_ wants to know if it’s something to be concerned about.”

Amelie followed his gaze and sighed,“Well, you can run home and tell maman that whatever is happening over there will be dealt with shortly.”

“Running into the thick of it are you?” he laughed,“Dare I ask why?”

“It’s Angela.”

Gabriel froze, his expression carefully blank as he turned his head to face her. Amelie refused to meet his gaze and continued to stare out into the distance.  

“I don’t know what she’s doing or why but I know she’s there and I would like to have a few words with her.”

He remained quiet for a moment, choosing his words carefully when he spoke up again. “Don’t misunderstand me here, Ame. I am all for revenge of the violent kind but...have you been feeding?”

Amelie’s shoulders sagged.

The silence was telling, and Gabriel grimaced. “Reputation or not, Angela is not a harpie or vampire. She cannot be slain on weaponry alone - and you know that.”

It was hard to say what could kill Angela. It was said that she had purposely remained in the pyre to let her accusers watch her burn before freeing herself.  

Amelie mulled on his words. It was a polite way of asking if she was taking care of herself. Like the Dragon said, she could have incredible strength with human blood in her stomach. Only then could she succeed in destroying the Witch, yet her fear with accepting Lena’s offering still lingered heavy in her mind.

“It’s complicated,” she mumbled with a heavy sigh.

“Ah yes the young woman you rode in with yes? Personally I’m not one to bring my meals around with me but-”

Gabriel’s words were cut short as Amelie stepped out and stood her ground directly in front of him, her golden eyes staring him down.

“Gabriel, you are my brother and I cherish you dearly. However if _either_ of you...” she said, her tone sharp and eyes shifting between him and the Owl Witch still perched onto the rooftop,”Touch a single hair on her head I will rip your throats out with my own teeth.”

Gabriel blinked back in surprise. This woman was someone else entirely since he had last seen her and he couldn’t have been more proud.   

“So, it’s like that then?” he asked with a smile.

Amelie nodded slowly, unsure at first, somewhat surprised at how protective she was about Lena, and so quickly at that. A small smile crept along her features as she realized she felt no need to take back her words.

“Yes, it’s like that.”

“Then you already know when I say to be careful.”

“I do.”

“Good. You’re already of impressive strength, I’m quite curious how you will take to a normal diet…” his words trailed away as realization crossed his features,“Should I be worried?”

She scoffed,“Have no fear, I still have no interest in the throne. That is yours.”

Gabriel nodded. “Thank you. I would still recommend keeping a low profile afterwards. She will take notice should you be successful.”

_Of course she would, because then I’ll be a threat._

From the very start she had no interest in being a part of vampire royalty. In fact, she had no interest in being a vampire in the first place. But if she were to continue her hunting business, it wouldn’t be long before she felt those terrible eyes on her again.

“Will you kill me? If she orders it?”

“Years ago? No. Now?” he hummed in thought,“I wouldn’t mind the challenge, I’m rather curious if the legendary Huntress is as deadly as they say,” he grinned, flashing pearly white fangs.

“You saved me Gabriel and I’ll never forget that. But should it come to that, I will destroy you.”

The two stood utterly still, staring each other down with fangs bared and fierce eyes.

The tense moment was broken abruptly as Gabriel buckled first and laughed. He reached out and gently cupped her face, a look of pride in his eyes as he leaned in and placed a gentle kiss on her forehead.

“Can’t wait.”

Amelie grasped his arms, letting out a soft but shaky sigh.

“Goodbye Gabriel.” she said, wishing her voice were stronger. She couldn’t bring herself to ask him to stay longer, caught in between wanting to prove herself but also unable to voice just how much she missed him.

Beneath her fingers his physical form began to fade as dark smoke wafted from his face.

“Farewell Amelie. We will see eachother again soon. Hopefully before that fateful day.”

With that he was gone, dissipating into a thick black mist that unnaturally moved along the ground with incredible speed and disappeared into the shadows. Amelie watched as Sombra let out a short shriek before taking flight, leaving her behind to watch them return into the night.

It was bittersweet to watch them go. A feeling of loneliness clutched at her dead heart in a way she had not felt in a long while.

She shook her head and smiled. Luckily for her, there was still company waiting for her at the tavern.

Dawn crept ever closer. She had been so engrossed in conversation that she hardly noticed the darkness slowly receding to give way for the morning. It wouldn’t be long before people begin to rise with the sun and begin a new day.

It didn’t take long to walk back, though she did a take a moment to check on the horses.

A soft breeze brushed her bangs along her face, and had she not taken a moment to adjust her hair she would have missed the gentle tapping at her ankle.

They had never asked what the people made of the harpies they had killed just outside of the tavern.

Well, the harpie that Lena killed.

Blood stained the ground on the road and the body was gone, however the wind had picked up and taken with it a single harpie feather that was now resting beside her boot.

Amelie didn’t take had not had time to take a trophy then,  but perhaps this would do.

_But perhaps I should give this to Lena._

Not because it was a trophy to be had, no. The first thought that ran across Amelie’s mind was, _Lena would like this_

If only she could blush. Embarrassed by her own thoughts she bent down regardless and swiped the feather from the ground, quickly pocketing it before walking back inside.

* * *

 

When Amelie entered their room, Lena was found completely unconscious on the only bed.

Her “bad” ankle propped up with three pillows underneath her knee and foot, twice as many blankets underneath her, the ends awkwardly pulled together,  draping them across her torso. She mumbled something incoherently in her sleep as the door clicked shut behind Amelie. Amelie froze, but Lena just shifted a little to turn her head towards the wall, her mouth open just slightly to release a soft snore.

Just as she had promised, Lena did in fact claim the bed and apparently was treated like royalty along the way.

It was a treatment that Amelie had never cared for - a hero’s welcome from a fight well done. It wasn’t her style. She was in it for the thrill not the reward but even so, she was glad Lena could reap the benefits.

Feeling safe to continue without waking her companion, Amelie quietly made her way across the room towards the small table and began her routine. She slipped her gloves off and placed them at the top left corner, draped her jacket on the chair, the vest folded perfectly on the seat, and slipped off her boots, resting them beside the chair. The small assortment of knives tucked inside said boots and belt went on the table, laid out in order of length.

As she placed the crossbow onto the table, the black curtains caught her attention from the corner of her eyes. A moment of confusion passed as she looked up and realized Lena had taken the cloak that she had left behind and placed it over the curtain rod just as she had seen Amelie do repeatedly in their journey.   
Amelie bit her lip, glancing back over her shoulder and watching the gentle rise and fall of her companion’s chest as Lena continued to sleep peacefully.

She had to tell her the truth.

She had to tell her why she was so hesitant to an otherwise perfect situation - a little blood donation here and there to gain incredible strength, while also acquiring a companion who was more than happy to learn the tricks of the trade.

Untucking her shirt, she popped the top two buttons open and reached up, taking hold of the tight hair tie holding her ponytail up and slowly dragging it down until it released her hair to cascade around her shoulders. She hummed with relief, the tension and appearance finally gone allowing her to relax.

She had never spoken of Gerard to anyone.

Specifically, their budding relationship that was ripped out of her hands before it could even bloom.

Her father had hired him, a world famous vampire hunter and supernatural expert and even demanded he stay at the estate until all signs of Amelie’s “ailments” were gone.   
  
Ailments being running into the woods at night, returning with mysterious bruises along her neck and “no memory” of any of it.

Gerard had seen right through her immediately, yet he never told her father. Amelie was doing this willingly and he made no effort in stopping her.

It had been a century and still Amelie could not shake the possibility that it was her fault for Angela becoming possessive or manipulative yet she knew deep in her gut this wasn’t true. The Witch had claimed her from the very beginning, and Amelie was blind to it all until Gerard had asked, bringing up questions that she had never thought to think before.

But he was long gone.

The last taste of human blood that she had consumed and had since refused to drink a single drop of.

Although that last part was no longer true.

Taking the large feather from the inner pocket of her jacket, she turned back towards the bed, Lena usually woke up before she did, leaving the trophy on the bedside table for her to wake up to might be a nice surprise.

“This is ridiculous…” she found herself muttering under her breath, putting the feather down before clutching the bridge of her nose in annoyance of herself.

A low mumble  caught her attention and she turned just in time to see Lena’s eyes flutter open.

“Ame?” she yawned, rubbing her eyes with the back of her hand,”You back yet?” Lena blinked hard until the haze of sleep cleared away from her vision.

Upon finding the Huntress standing beside the bed, Lena flashed her a sleepy smile with lazy hooded eyes.  

  
Amelie gulped.   


_Oh no._

 

“Go back to sleep cherie.” Amelie whispered, hoping to coax her back to sleep. She held out her hand and made a ‘shoo’ motion.

Catching on, Lena slowly sat up, pushing her hands against the old worn out mattress to shift herself over to make room for another body on the small bed. She had every intention of rolling over and returning to sleep as suggested, feeling the bed dip slightly as Amelie sat down but a moment of silence passed and nothing else. Lena strained her neck to look over her shoulder and found Amelie sitting pensively with her back to Lena on the edge of the bed. Fingers ran through her long locks in frustration, and that was enough to bring Lena to sit up.

“Are you ok?” she asked gently, her voice still slightly groggy.

Amelie glanced over her shoulder, offering her a small smile.

“It’s alright, just an owl that spooked the hors-”

“No I mean _you_ , are you alright?”

Amelie fell quiet, eyes downcast. She turned back to face the wall with a heavy sigh.

Lena hummed to herself,“I’m going to go out on a limb and take that as a no.”

Amelie remained still as the bed shifted beneath Lena’s weight,“You know me so well.” she meant to be more sarcastic, but couldn’t help the small smile on her face as Lena scooted herself over to sit closer, her knee brushing against her hip.

“You’re not so hard to figure out. Now what’s on your mind?”

With one last run through of her fingers through her hair she averted her gaze to the ceiling as if requesting someone for strength.“You’re right… We can’t defeat her, not if I keep this up.”

Lena’s posture straightened, fully awake and aware as she put the pieces together and remember what Amelie was talking about in the first place.

“We can start slow you know? Get you used to it, and I promise I’m really-”

“I’m afraid.”

Amelie’s voice was hushed, and Lena’s sentence died on her lips at the vulnerability in the words..

“No, I’m terrified.” she mumbled under her breath, burying her face in her hands as she let out a shaky sigh.

Lena watched unsurely. Even on hunts when she was unsure about what sort of creatures they would be facing, the Huntress still stood strong and made even Lena, who had no skill or experience in the first place feel confident they could take the night. Yet here now she was vulnerable, not a world class hunter, not a vampire, just a scared woman.

Lena’s hand sat idly in her lap until she felt the overwhelming need to do something, anything. No matter what it was, Amelie saved her life - there must be something she could do to help.

“Amelie?” she called out quietly, reaching out and placing her hand on her shoulder, giving her a small reassuring squeeze.

The Huntress slowly lifted her face out of her hands and pressed her lips against them, still refusing to look at her companion as she spoke.

“I left out a few things when I told you my story...about someone I loved very much...how I broke Angela’s heart…”

She stopped to drop her face back into her hands, gently rubbing her temples with her thumbs before continuing.

“And how I killed him and drained him dry.”

The silence that followed was heavy.

Amelie’s hands intertwined together in a tight grip of anxiety in her lap, her eyes distant and voice quiet as Lena struggled to find a response.

There were plenty of things that she could point out to find a logical conclusion to possibly sway Amelie’s thoughts on the matter. Perhaps being a young vampire had made her more violent, and now with more experience she could have more control? Given all the training Lena had received, albeit not a lot, she could defend herself if for whatever reason Amelie took too much.

But would any of those answers mean anything to her? Amelie’s fears were still real to her and so much so that she outright refused what could keep her from withering away.

Before Lena could reply, Amelie finally turned and faced her, still not looking at her, her voice quiet.

“I don’t want to lose you too.”

Lena was quick to shake her head as she scooted closer, wrapping both arms around her waist.

“I’m not going anywhere.” she whispered, resting her forehead upon her shoulder and hugging her tightly as Amelie let out another shaky sigh, as if an incredible weight was lifted from her back.

“I promise.”

The earnestness in the words rendered Amelie speechless. She reached up and gently caressed the unruly mess of brown hair while her other hand found Lena’s around her waist, immediately interlocking fingers.

“You should sleep, Lena.” she whispered, placing her head atop Lena’s.

Lena didn’t move, enjoying the closeness and the moment but eventually her hand slipped away from Amelie’s waist.

“Not yet.” she mumbled.

Amelie lifted her head just in time to see Lena’s hand take a hold of hers, pulling it away from her hair and bringing it down to place a soft kiss on her knuckles,“Just a moment longer?”

Lena’s eyes fluttered closed as her warm lips brushed against the back of her hand, remaining there for possibly a moment too long before opening them, her big brown eyes staring up at Amelie’s golden eyes softened by the gesture but otherwise unreadable face.

She turned slightly, her hands slipping out of Lena’s grasp to gently cup her face and coax her forward to meet in the middle.

It was chaste to say the least, lasting a few short sweet seconds their lips pressed together, Amelie surprisingly warm despite her cool skin. They parted but remained close, eyes glazed over but quietly searching the other for any signs of any further hesitation or regret. Neither found any.

Amelie smiled.

She shifted in her seat now facing Lena and placed her right hand into the mattress on the other side of Lena’s hip, holding herself steady as a large grin took over the girl’s face, and eagerly pulled her back in by the face with a much less chaste kiss.

Lena’s scent and taste enveloped her senses, and for the first time in a long while, Amelie let herself go as she deepened the kiss. Lena moaned quietly, and Amelie bit at her bottom lip, grinning at the shudder that ran through Lena’s body.Lena’s moan was _intoxicating,_ but through the haze of her soft noises there was a sudden yelp.

“O-ow!” Lena backed away and hissed in pain, slapping a hand over her mouth.

Amelie’s eyes went wide, and her heart sunk to the pit of her stomach in horror. She quickly stood up and stepped away, her eyes wide as the two stared at each other for a long moment.

“I... Lena I’m...so sorry I didn’t... _merde._ I knew this was a bad idea I have to g-”

Once over the initial shock and sharp pain, Lena looked down at her hand, finding crimson smeared along her finger. Just the perfect amount to start weaning the vampire into taking fresh blood.

"Ooooooh no you don’t!”

Lena swung her legs over the side of the bed and jumped to her feet, her bruised ankle nearly causing her to fall over at the sudden pressure, but she used this as momentum and caught up to Amelie, grabbing her by the shirt as support and pulled her back.

“I’m not goin’ anywhere and you promised me that you wouldn’t either!”

Before Amelie could reply, Lena pulled her down, crushing her bloodied lips against hers.

The thought of pulling away crossed Amelie’s mind for only a brief moment but the scent of fresh blood under her nose was too much. Lena squeaked against her mouth in surprise as an arm wrapped around her waist, pulling her tight against Amelie’s chest and the other held her at the back of the neck. She held her possessively as she lapped up the blood along her bottom lip, and Lena melted into the touch with a soft groan.

Once cleaned, Amelie deepened the kiss just for a moment longer regardless, pulling back only to find Lena going slack in her grasp, breathing heavily.

Lena finally opened her eyes, a little dazed with a pleased smile on her face, she found Amelie blinking hard and shaking her head as shades of red bled her golden irises.

“Easy easy...hey can you hear me? Are you alright?” she called out gently, reaching up and holding her face in both hands, forcing her to focus on her.

It took a moment, her eyes staring into her warm brown ones until finally the red vanished, leaving only a beautiful golden gaze. Amelie slowly nodded, breaking out of the haze.

“Oui. Je.. Je suis desolee, Lena - ”

“Oh no, do not apologize” Lena grinned, her thumbs running across her cheekbones as she beamed with joy,”You did great just now. Nothing crazy, and you snapped right back. See? We’re gonna be fine love.”

Amelie stared at her. It was unbelievable but perhaps she underestimated herself. Lena wasn’t in pieces like she thought she would be, she hadn’t lost complete control. By some miracle, this was going to work.

“You...are taking this all very well.”

Lena looked away hastily and a deep red blush colored her cheeks.

“I’m not going to lie...I might enjoy this more than you at this point.” She squeaked, looking anywhere but at Amelie.

It took her a moment to realize what she meant, and if Amelie could still blush, she would. It was no secret victims often felt blood being drawn to be a pleasant sensation, assuming it was consensual. But considering the way her arms wrapped possessively around Lena, she seemed to be in no hurry to break the contact. Perhaps the amount of licking involved was what was really making Lena blush however and now realizing this herself, Amelie’s face fell into embarrassment.  

“Oh.”

“Don’t judge me.” Lena mumbled, pouting slightly in a rather adorable fashion Amelie couldn’t help but smile.

“Judge? I think this works well in our favor” she grinned, fangs peeking from between her teeth.

The room was illuminated with a soft blue, the prologue of the sunrise finally coming after an incredibly long night. She wanted to sleep, emotionally exhausted by the weight of her fears now finally gone but Lena flashed her a look that made the idea of sleeping out of the question.

“So,” she purred, tracing Amelie’s lips with her finger still stained with blood that she immediately licked playfully,“Still hungry?”

_  
“Starving.” _

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> "Dangerous Night" - Thirty Seconds to Mars


	18. A Letter from Adlersbrunn

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Lord of the castle calls for heroes to come to his aid. But he can wait a little while longer.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> NSFW

Molly didn’t get much sleep.   
  
The evening that the harpies had attacked the town had been a whirlwind of panic and tending to the wounded. Once the town had a chance to breathe, they were left wondering if their saviors ever would return - and they did, eventually. Their return shook off the fog of exhaustion that rested over the tired company, and they were quick to jump to their feet and whip up a meal, expectantly, awaiting a story. And they got the story of a lifetime from their saviors.

Lena was an excellent storyteller, she wove a tale that instantly drew them in despite their aching bones and weary eyes wanting nothing more than to sleep but how could they? The Huntress rode backwards and shot at bloodthirsty harpies!

But the excitement wound down and eventually their brave heroes turned in for a well deserved rest while she and Specs quickly cleaned up for the next shift to take over.

However she was rudely awoken to the sound of said shift barging into her room, she had half a mind to kill the man had he not a large raven perched on his arm and a roll of parchment.

She blinked the haze of sleep out of her eyes until the seal on the small scroll made sense.

 

Lord Adlersbrunn.

 

Addressed to the Countess Lacroix - also known as The Huntress.

 

Without another word she jumped out of bed and snatched the scroll from his nervous grasp and sprinted down the hall, exhaustion be damned.

“Pardon me Huntress! Lena!” she called out, hoping the panic in her voice and pounding against the door would be enough to state the urgency.

“You have a letter! It came by raven and marked as important and-”

“Molly hi! Can I help you?”

The woman froze, her fist utterly still as the door before her suddenly swung open to reveal Lena, wide eyed and with the most amazing bed hair Molly ever had the pleasure of seeing.

She stood in the doorway, her white shirt still bloodied and dirty from the previous night barely hung on her body as multiple buttons were slipped into the completely wrong hole making it appear twisted as she threw it on in a hurry while her other hand was clutching the waistband of her breeches as she failed to find a belt in time.

However it was the red and purple marks around her neck and short thin cuts along her collarbone that caught Molly’s attention. But as just as she opened her mouth to ask about these terrible wounds that she had assumed to be the aftermath of a harpy attack, a low groan was heard within, she no longer had any questions.

“...uh...Letter...from….Lord of...Adler…” Molly’s words trailed away as her eyes caught sight of something moving behind Lena.

The Huntress grumbled in annoyance, shifting to lie on her side with her pale bare back to the door and hair splayed out in a beautiful mess.

Lena didn’t bother turning around, her cheeks reddening in realization as Molly slowly looked back to her with the biggest grin on her face.

“You two are…’close’ huh?”

In one swoop Lena swiped the letter from her grasp and slammed the door, frantically calling out a ‘Thank you but goodbye!’  


A few seconds passed before Molly erupted into hysterical laughter behind the door and Lena could only stand there with her face completely on fire as the laughing trailed down the hallway.

She groaned, pinching the bridge of her nose as an oncoming headache settled in from waking suddenly and jumping up so quickly.

“After all this time waking at sundown I forget people have a normal sleep schedule” she sighed, turning back just in time to see Amélie facing her with an elbow propped up against the pillow and fist jammed into her cheek looking just as annoyed at the rude awakening.

A week ago that deadly look would have sent Lena running in the opposite direction, now it was rather endearing.

“This better be worth waking me,” she hissed, her voice still thick with sleep which made Lena smile.

She took the scroll in both hands and reached for the ribbon holding it together, however in doing so she let go of her waistband and her large pants promptly fell straight down, a puddle around her ankles. Amélie watched it happen, her eyes following the pants as they fell in which she couldn’t help but snort. Her bad mood didn’t seem to last long around Lena.

“When we go to the city I’m buying you new clothes. I can’t have you following me around in rags.”

Lena stared down at the pool of breeches at her feet for a moment and shrugged, they were well beyond the point of modesty,“To be fair I’m still technically homeless, which now that I think about it, aren’t you too? Wanderin’ around from place to place?”

Amélie watched her with amusement as Lena struggled to step out of her pants, nearly tripping as they were caught around her foot, but managing to balance well enough to be free of her constraints.

Tossing the scroll onto the small bedside table, Lena unbuttoned her shirt, giggling to herself at the absolutely terrible mismatching that she did in her hurry and threw it aside before flopping right back into bed. There wasn’t a lot of room considering their arrangement but they made it work. Amélie shifted to lie on her back, blanket still covering her torso despite being unable to feel the chill as Lena lay on her side, mimicking Amélie’s previous pose with her elbow against the pillow and fist in her cheek, looming over the Huntress with a curious look.

“The Guillard estate still stands, every ten or twenty years I return.”

Amélie’s golden eyes slowly scanned Lena’s skin finding the marks along her neck and small cuts she made by her fangs still fresh on each side of her. Amélie refused to bite down, it was too dangerous and under the haze of lust it wasn’t worth the risk. But even the small incision seemed to be enough for a refreshing drink, and although groggy and exhausted in the best ways, Amélie had never felt better.

Yet as her eyes continued to scan, she realized what she had marked was now apart of a growing collection. Her shoulders and ankle were still bandaged from the harpy attack and now bare before her Lena was covered in bruises, some fresher than others. Being on the street must have come with its share of tumbles.

Amélie lifted her hand, gently brushing her knuckles absentmindedly against Lena’s skin where a dark purple bruise sat on her forearm. Lena made no motion to stop her but just watched on curiously. It felt...nice, to mutually touch someone again. She never realized how long it had been until now,

“Can you say that again?” Lena asked quietly, breaking Amélie from her thoughts.

“What?”

“Gool yard?”

Amélie chuckled softly,“Guillard.”

“Ghoulyard?”

“Careful, the “L” is silent.”

Lena just stared at her,“There are “L”s in this?”

“Guillard.” Amélie tried again, reaching out to gently press Lena’s lips out of the ‘O’ shape she had been making between her fingers.

“Once again, Goo-yaad without the ‘O’ sound”

Her face split into a smile as Lena’s brows furrowed in concentration, her brown eyes focused on Amélie’s lips as she attempted to repeat it.

“G...guillard…”  
  
Upon seeing the flash of pride across Amélie’s face, Lena smiled wide, placing a victorious kiss against the fingers that captured her mouth.

“Well done, you’re now two words in for learning French,” she laughed.

“Why thank you. What does that mean love?”

“It was my family name. I was born Amélie Guillard.”

Lena’s head tilted slightly in confusion. It was adorable, and a small part of Amélie really hated how easily it made her stomach twist with joy, “Then where did Lacroix come from?”

“It was Gerard’s name. We didn’t marry, I wanted to, very much so, but after he died I took his name and assumed the role of his widowed wife seeking revenge.”

Lena’s eyes widened in surprise but she patiently awaited the rest of the story, placing her chin over her fist and waiting expectantly as Amélie let out a soft sigh,“Lacroix was once a powerful vampire hunting family. For the first few years of my hunt it made it easier to find jobs but now it’s a part of me. Details lost in time.”

“So...the silver crest on your cloak?”

“It was his.”

Lena made a small sound of understanding and wiggled closer to get comfortable. “Tell me about him?”

Despite the incredibly exhausting night they had, Lena’s energy was renewed and ready for the day. By now the town was bustling with activity and normal people going about their normal lives as the morning carried on. But Amélie could only groan, her cloak doing well to block out the sunlight but not so much the noise.   
  
“A tale for another time, right now I just want to sleep. Come back to bed, you’re warm,” she grumbled, gently pushing against Lena’s shoulder to remove herself from on top of the blanket and rejoin her within.   
  
“Hey wait a mo’, you got this letter from Adlersbrunn.”

“Read it to me, I’ll pretend to listen” she said, emphasizing the importance of Lena moving with another push.   
  
Lena huffed but got the message. She swung her legs over the side of the bed and took the thin blanket, peeling it back to the side to slip in, swiping the scroll on the way.

Amélie was quick to wrap her arms around Lena’s small frame and pulled her back against her front. She marveled at how well Lena fit against her curves as she buried her face against the back of her neck and held her close, completely flush against her skin.  
  
Lena cleared her throat, putting on a terribly thick accent as to what she must assume rich people sound like.

“ _To the Countess Amélie Danielle…_ ” she paused with a gasp,”Your middle name is Danielle? That’s so lovely!”

Amélie let out a small noise of annoyance, pinching Lena’s leg as a quiet warning.

“Ow! Alright alright…. _To the Countess Amélie Danielle Lacroix. Head of the house Guillard and Huntress of the Valley_ ” Lena paused,”Oh is that your full title? That’s rather noble like yeah?”

“Lena…” she mumbled another warning against her skin but with a soft smile in her voice.

“Your service is requested by order of Lord Reinhardt Wilhelm Adlersbrunn.”

A short pause sat between them as the words read aloud sunk in.

“That’s not good is it?” Lena mumbled quietly.

Things must be much worse than they had previously assumed but Amélie just shook her head, placing a reassuring kiss on the back of her neck just below her hairline earning a small shudder, “I suppose we should have seen that coming but it’s alright, we were heading that way anyway.”

“Yeah but...this now under the Lord of the land’s order,” With Amélie’s face pressed against Lena’s back, she felt the rise and fall of her body as she let out a long sigh,”What is going on over there? What is the witch doing?”

The Huntress pulled the girl’s body closer, both arms wrapped securely around her waist as she pressed another kiss along her shoulder before settling into the crook of her neck, her nose brushing against the slope of her shoulder to her neck.  

“Continue on, let’s see what he wants.”

Lena continued to read, without the ridiculous accent, and Amélie’s eyes slipped closed. The once annoying pitch and tone was now rather soothing. Feeling the light vibrations with each word as she pressed and ear to her back, feeling each slight draw of breath. It was just a shame there was no rhythmic beating of a heart.

In this moment of calm for the first time in days, Amélie swore to kill the witch just to hear such a sound to lull her to sleep. Assuming they survived in the first place, in all her years she knew nothing was permanent. She shouldn’t be this attached in the first place but after tasting warm crimson in a tangle of sheets and intimacy she had not felt in years she knew it was too late and maybe she was ok with that.

“Hey you listening?”

“Terrifying doctor, yes yes I hear you.”

Lena let out a gentle giggle that made Amélie’s dead heart twist once more.

“Alright let’s see here…”

She almost did fall asleep, pressing her forehead against Lena’s back quietly , listening to her read, Amélie’s hands began to wander aimlessly. Fingers gently caressing Lena’s stomach in a circular and playful manner that at first Lena didn’t seem to pay no mind, blunt nails brushing against her side up and down. Up and down. Until she continued down, past her hip and drawing unidentifiable patterns along her thigh.

The tiniest hitch in her breath brought Amélie out of her sleepy haze, realizing too late what she had been doing as Lena stopped reading she immediately froze in place.

A tense moment of silence passed between the two.  

Last night was mostly a blur, under the intense haze of fresh blood on her lips Amélie was almost drunk on Lena’s soft pants and quiet moans into the pillow.

Now completely sober and aware of her actions, a faint blush of embarrassment would have crossed Amélie’s features if she had the blood for it.

Before she could withdraw and mumble an apology, Lena shifted slightly as she lifted her knee upright, quietly spreading her legs and pushing back against Amélie’s hips and earning a soft gasp in surprise.

Lena held the rolled up letter in both hands and cleared her throat.

“To The Countess Amélie Danielle Lacroix. Head of the House Guillard and Huntress of the Valley-”

Amélie got the hint, slipping one hand along Lena’s inner thigh with a soft pinch as she nuzzled her face against her neck before whispering,”You’re terrible, and I love it.”

Lena paused just for a moment to flash a mischievous smile before continuing,“Your service is requested by order of Lord Reinhardt Wilhelm Adlersbrunn-“

At first her advances didn’t seem to break Lena’s concentration, circular motions along her skin just a breath away from her heated center, small teasing bites along her shoulder, even her other hand reached around took a breast into her grasp but still Lena remained on task.

“A month ago the city doctor, Jamison Junkenstein was under suspicion of grave robbing and ill practice on the sick people of Adlersbrunn-”

With a short huff of annoyance, she leaned in further for a particular weakness she discovered just hours ago.

“The Lord himself sa-aah!” Lena immediately stiffened as if struck by lightning as two canines gently grasped at her earlobe,”Ch-cheating! That’s cheating!” she squeaked.

“That’s odd, I don’t recall seeing that in the letter” Amélie grinned, taking the edge of her ear into her mouth, biting down just enough to earn a small gasp.

“You’re the woooorst...” she groaned, letting go of the letter to reach out but her wrist was quickly snatched and pressed down into the mattress in front of her.

“You started it, I _will_ finish it.”

Lena gulped, feeling each word whispered against her ear in a low and warning tone.

“Keep reading, chérie.”  

The last time Amélie was intimate the positions were different to say the least, but as Lena nodded weakly, obeying her commands and returned to holding the letter in both hands, letting her have her way with the small human in her bed set her stomach on fire.

“The...Lord himself saw to the investigation-” she paused to gasp, catching her breath as Amélie took to the side of her neck, her canines dragging along her skin but not enough to break skin before taking to adding another dark purple bruise to her growing collection,” and..haaa...a-and confirmed...finding body parts within barrels in his…”

Her breath caught in her throat as nimble fingers playfully flicked a perk nipple in Amélie’s firm grasp”...L-lab...hnng...fuck...con...conducting heinous experiments on the...ah! Dead!”

Amélie was no longer listening to the words, neither was Lena who fought desperately to finish the letter before coming undone. Her soft pants and stumbling over her own speech were absolutely delightful.

Slipping the thin blanket off their bodies, Amélie hummed in amusement, watching her squirm as her hand finally dipped into her heated center.

“As...ah fucking...hell...As of two days ago the doctor has...sh...shit...has...gone...has gone missing!”

The poor girl was completely wet, bucking helplessly against her hand desperate for friction but a firm hand held her in place, grasping Lena by the hips while deft fingers circled her clit.

“We...w-we fear he is planning….s-something as our graveyards haaa…..‘ave been picked clean and dark….oh gods...darkness creeps over the hills...Ame...Ame please…” she begged, her grip tightening on the parchment, twisting and on the verge of tearing in her hands.

Amélie couldn’t have stopped smiling even if she wanted to, unable to contain her joy of control she placed a soft kiss against Lena’s cheek now glistening in a thin layer of sweat, “Keep reading, you’re almost done,” she whispered softly despite the speed and intensity her fingers continued to tease.

Lena whimpered pathetically, taking a moment to let out a long groan against the pillow as Amélie’s hand slid down, fingers teasing her entrance only to return upwards and continue the torture. Her body began to quiver as did her voice, cracking, pitch raising and falling barely able to hang on for much longer.

“We....we a-are calling for...for heroes, oh god...mercenaries and hunts...hunters to track him...d..do...wn...fuck Ame please...” she cried, her hips desperate to move against her incredible strength but couldn’t budge.

“Almost there, come on now,” Amélie cooed softly, gently taking the rim of her ear in her mouth once more bringing forth another long groan.

“R...respond w-with your desired...hnnn...desired reward and it will be-hnng fuck fuck-negotiated upon arrival!”

Upon seeing the end of the letter Lena gulped and took in a long inhale before finishing in one breath.

“ReporttotheCastleoftheLordAdlersbrunnwithhaste.SignedCaptainoftheGuardJackMorrison!”

With that, Lena threw the letter onto the bedside table and reached back, grasping Amélie by the back of the head and shoved her face against her neck.

“Please bite me!”

It wasn’t the first time she asked. Last night Amélie was a breath away from sinking her teeth into that beautiful flesh but refused before it was too late, taking blood from her was fine, actually biting down could be too much too soon.

Filled with lust but not starving there was more control this time around and Amélie just nuzzled against the bruised skin. “No chérie, it’s not worth it.”

“Ame- please I want…” her words were cut short with a soft lips in a desperate kiss, Amélie pushed herself up to loom over her shaking form as Lena lay flat on her back, clutching Amélie by the arms in a tight grip.

“Shhh I know” she purred, her dark hair falling to one side like a waterfall Lena couldn’t look away from those hazy golden eyes,”But not now.”

“Then please fuck me,” Lena hissed, her hips grinding up helplessly against her hand on the verge of falling apart,”Please please, Ame” she whined, staring up at the Huntress with vibrant brown eyes half lidded and begging.

“Remember we have neighbors _mon amie_ ,” she warned under a harsh whisper before slipping a single digit inside. Lena’s back arched beautifully as she slapped a hand over her mouth just in time to muffle a low groan.

Amélie watched her carefully as she curled her finger upwards, Lena twisted and writhed underneath her. Clutching the sheets and blankets she bit down on her bottom lip to stifle another moan but was unable to stop the smile plastered on her face.

“Another?”

“Please” Lena whined, grabbing the pillow behind her she pulled it up to bite into it as another finger joined in.

What a sight this was, Lena moaned into the pillow helplessly rocking her hips in rhythm to Amélie as two fingers curled upwards inside of her while her thumb brushed over her clit.

“Love...I’m…” she choked on her own gasps, mouth open but unable to cry out or form words as she was coming undone.

Grabbing the pillow once more Lena slammed it against her face and let out a muffled cry as her body went rigid. Back arching off the bed as Amélie continued to thrust her fingers at a much slower pace allowing her to ride off her orgasm until she fell completely limp.

Lena’s chest heaved for air, tossing aside the pillow her brown hair clung to her sweaty face and eyes shut tight as the waves of pleasure slowly faded.

“ _Tu es si belle_ ” Amélie purred, flicking her thumb across her incredibly sore clit causing her to squeak before slipping her fingers out and casually wiping them with the sheets. Unfortunately this mess wouldn’t be the worst a tavern had seen or dealt with.

Carefully placing her hands on each side of Lena’s gasping form, Amélie leaned over her with a sympathetic smile.

“Lena? Are you alright?” She asked gently, reaching out to brush aside stray bangs from her eyes.

It took a moment before she could reply, offering only a silly smile at first before catching her hand and kissing her knuckles.

“Y..yeah just...bloody hell I could get used to that” she laughed, letting out a long satisfied sigh she reached up and gently cupped the scarred side of Amélie’s face,“Come here you!”

Taking care to not crush the girl Amélie allowed herself to be pulled in for an exhausted and slow kiss. Blunt nails held her close, dragging down along her back making her shudder and moan against her lips.

Just like that Lena’s legs draped over her waist pulling her until her hips fell flush with Amélie’s earning a short gasp.

“Your turn?”

The amount of willpower it took to not take this girl again was more award worthy than anything Amélie had ever hunted in her lifetime as Lena stared up at her with half lidded beautiful brown eyes ready to go again.

“I believe we just read an important letter saying we should be somewhere chérie.”

As painful as it was to say it, Amélie pushed herself upwards out of her grasp, ignoring a low whine of disappointment, and grabbed the now crinkled letter.

“They can wait,” Lena huffed, but made no movements to stop her.

“You and your heart cannot. Call it a personal preference but I’d rather you not disappear while I’m taking you face down,”

Lena opened her mouth to object but quickly closed it, parts of her possibly disappeared but she was too preoccupied at the time to realize it. It was only a matter of time before it started up again at the most inconvenient time.

Amélie returned with letter in hand, a bit of shuffling was required on the small bed but they managed to switch spots. Amélie lay on her back as Lena immediately lay snuggled up against her side. Arms draped over her stomach and legs intertwined, she let out a long yawn before leaning her head on her shoulder while Amélie reread the letter.

“And the verdict?”

“Well we know who is responsible for our stitched up monster, other hunters were called and we are given any reward of our choosing,” Amélie paused for a moment, staring at the signature for awhile.

It had been years since she visited Adlersbrunn, perhaps once in the current Lord’s lifetime and once during his father’s reign. She lost count how many men once took the title of captain.

“Oh good, far worse than we thought” Lena mumbled, forcing a small laugh that died into a pitiful groan of worry.

Tossing the letter aside, Amélie’s fingers found their way into the mass of brown hair at her side,”What would you ask for? The richest and most powerful man in the country has offered you anything.”

Lena sighed happily at the scritches along her scalp,”I’d really like for this to never end, think he can do that?”

“I’m sure that can be arranged, but anything else you would want?”

Lena hummed to herself in thought,“Maybe some land? A house? Oh and the chickens! All the things I’ve ever wanted after I get my heart back...But...he called for you not me?”

“You have yet to make a name for yourself, besides, I’d like to think we are a package deal. Am I wrong?”

Lena’s face split into a wide grin, tightening her embrace,“Absolutely not, you’re not going anywhere without me.”

With that settled, Amélie reaches out for the thin blanket and draped it across their bodies.

“Then I’ll send a response as he requested for a nice plot of land, an adorable little house and a half dozen chickens” she laughed, running her fingers through the brown locks as Lena yawned.

“What about you? What would you ask for?”

“Considering other hunters are being called I think it’s only fair to claim the head of the witch. She has been on the hit list of many hunters, but she’s mine.”

“That seems fair…” Lena mumbled, her eyes drooping now on the verge of sleep,”See you at sundown.”

Just like that Lena was out before Amélie could reply but even so she still found herself gently stroking her hair as her mind drifted off.

 

Reports of the witch in Adlersbrunn.

A Doctor gone mad.

Bodies missing.

 

Amélie sighed, unable to fall back asleep as worry twisted her stomach. Somewhere in the middle of all this lay Lena’s heart.

What was the Witch of the Wilds planning?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for your patience~


	19. The Glory Days

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> As our heroes heed the call of Lord Adlersbrunn, he continues his preparations. This would be much easier if he knew what he was preparing for.

“I wish we could do more to properly thank you both for helping us.” 

 

Amelie fought the urge to scoff as she mounted her steed, forcing out a cough instead. She put on a polite smile and waved Molly off.

“Oh I think you’ve done quite enough,” she paused, glancing over at her partner who was still furiously determined to strap every bag full of supplies and food the grateful town had handed them when they came out at sundown to see them off,”...assuming Lena doesn’t eat everything you’ve given us.”

“I will make no promises but I can certainly try!” Lena grinned from ear to ear, stepping back to inspect her work. 

What Sir Chomp lacked in speed and wit, he made up for by being a sturdy work horse, easily able to carry everything she attached to his saddle. Satisfied she turned on her heel and wrapped her arms around the two tavern owners in a tight embrace. 

“Please be safe and come visit us sometime.” Molly flashed a bright smile to conceal her worry. 

“When you head into Aldersbrunn, you should go to The Cracked Cauldron, my old friend Tanner runs the place. Let him know The Hammered Hearth sent you and he should cut you a deal.” Specs smiled, pushing her large rounded glasses back up her nose.

“Oh I do love a friend of a friend discount!” Lena laughed but was cut short as Amelie cleared her throat with impatience. 

“We shouldn’t keep the Lord waiting cherie,” Amelie smiled through gritted teeth, uncomfortable with the amount of eyes on her. Simple people stood by and watched on with awe at the Huntress upon the beautiful black horse, clearly no red eyes to speak of as children were cautiously approaching Cauchemar to see if the tales were true.    
  
The black horse snorted at them, white steam billowed out of his snout into the cold air the young ones to scattered like rats in fear. 

“Right then!” 

Lena hopped onto her horse and gave him a gentle tap before waving goodbye as they went. 

“We’ll be back before you know it!” she called out, continuing to wave at all who said their farewells and bid them good luck as they finally left the small town as heroes.    


* * *

 

"Hey love, you probably been to Adlersbrunn a million times yeah? What’s it like? Is it as big as they say? Ever meet the Lord before? What’s he really like? I’ve heard stories but as I’ve learned word of mouth doesn’t  _ necessarily _ mean it’s true.” She winked with the last question.

A sense of deja vu washed over the Huntress as they returned to the road. 

Lena’s multiple questions with barely a breath in between, the cool night air as the sun disappeared behind the mountains as the two continued on their way with the city of Adlersbrunn on the horizon, it was nearly as if they had returned to their prior set up days ago.    
  
Except Amelie didn’t mind the endless questions this time around.

Lena took up the rear as she proceeded to stuff her mouth full of garlic bread (compliments of Molly) once again. As discussed, the garlic smell wasn’t poisonous to Amelie at all, but the scent was strong enough to travel downwind. 

“I have quite a few times. In comparison to most places around here it is the cleanest with the largest market and decent shops for anything one could need. Granted it’s been awhile, I last visited when the Lord was still a young man, yet new to his seat.”

Lena made a noise of confirmation as she swallowed the bread before continuing. 

“You’re like...a noble? Kinda like yeah? That why you get to meet ‘im?” 

Amelie shrugged,“In a way yes, my estate lies just barely within his borders. I made a deal with the house of Adlersbrunn years ago, they allow me to stay and under the protection of his lands and I continue to hunt until the end of days. They are aware of my “affliction” they like to call it. I just need to check in a couple of times in the current Lord’s lifetime. I suppose I’m due for another visit anyway”

Finished with her first snack on the road, Lena quickly guzzled down water from a waterskin, swishing the liquid around her mouth before spitting it out off to the side, ensuring most of the smell was off her body before tapping the side of her horse to pick up speed. 

“I’ve always heard he’s huge!” she exclaimed, now riding side by side with wide excited eyes,”A big man with an even bigger heart, always taking care of everyone and the like. Always wanted to go there, seemed like the best place to start over.”

At first Amelie remained quiet, her eyes on the road but not quite paying attention as her thoughts took over. 

“I’ve heard such tales as well but I can hardly believe them.”

“What do you mean?”

Amelie sighed, recalling the first and last time she met the tall and imposing figure of the Lord Adlersbrunn. Bright blonde hair swept behind his neck, intense blue eyes and a sneer on his handsome face as she approached him.

“He was ruthless, strict and hungry for war. It was a series of unfortunate events that led to a brilliant young warrior to be given such power. He didn’t care for me much, but heeded his Father’s words and we conducted business and off I went” she shrugged,”I remained within my estate when several battles took place beyond his borders. He started wars to expand his reach, become something far more powerful and deadly. At the time it was not monsters in the dark to be feared but a few years later when I returned to hunt and the fires died down to ambers, suddenly there was a brand new man in charge. No more fighting, no more demands for respect and power.” 

Lena opened her mouth to protest, wanting to question if they were still speaking of the same person at all. But it was hard to argue with someone who lived it as opposed to news she heard from one person who know someone that was there once upon a time ago. Lena was only child then, barely able to remember the end of the last great war. 

She had been taught at an early age that the fighting that took her grandfather and uncle’s lives was to protect and bring honor. That it would all be for the better for everyone and it baffled her to no end as to why her mother begged her father to not go and join them. This was for a cause and not the greed of a wealthy power hungry Lord.    
  


“Then...what happened? Why the change of heart?”

Amelie shook her head, offering the sky a pitiful laugh.

“What else could bring such a powerful man to his knees other than forcing him to bury his wife and child?” 

* * *

* * *

* * *

 

 

“Anything?”

He didn’t mean for his voice to sound so desperate, void of the command he should be asserting.

“All search parties have combed the area my Lord,  but the doctor is gone. The lab you placed him in has disappeared, as if there was nothing there”

The great Lord of Adlersbrunn let out a long sigh of frustration, his big shoulders sagging as he pinched the bridge of his nose. A week was more than enough time for the mad man to find a way out, to find allies in the darkness that he warned him about.

Was he too careless? Too merciful? 

His tired eyes scanned the horizon, his hands grasping the stone railing of his balcony as he stared out beyond his great city as the sun descended behind the mountains.

“Continue searching, I don’t want a single stone unturned while we wait for the hunters.”

“Of course sir” 

Captain of the Guard and loyal friend, Jack stood tall and alert as the Lord tore his gaze away from his land and turned on his heel.

“Have we any responses?” he asked, straightening up and smoothing out his waist coat as he walked away with the Captain close behind. 

Servants who scurried about, tending to their usual business immediately stopped and bowed low before stepping aside as the Lord passed them. 

It was an old habit really, during his reign as a young man he had demanded such respect. He had held his throne and his land with a tight grip, thirsty for war to assert his dominance. 

Those who survived his reign and remained loyal could no longer recognize the man now as he walked by and politely pat them on the back, urging them to stand back up and smile at them. 

With the quiet reminder, slowly each servant stood tall and returned to work. 

“The Huntress, Hanzo and McCree have all responded. Miss Zhou was last seen on her way up the Eastern Mountains for her hunt of a wild beast. No raven could get there without freezing to death.” 

The Lord shook his head, offering a pitiful laugh at his own expense,”Unfortunate we lose the most impressive tracker in the country...very well, what of the Viking?” 

Before the Captain could respond, the main doors of his castle were thrown open, crashing against the wall that shook the stone walls followed by a hearty bellow calling out:

“REINHARDT!”

The Lord stood frozen in his tracks as he slowly turned back to face his Captain and his sheepish smile.

“It would appear he was on his way already.” 

For the first time in days, he smiled sincerely as relief washed over him. 

“I never thought I’d be so happy to hear that man yell at me.” 

With purpose in his step, the Lord made quick confident strides down the stairs towards the throne room, following the impatient grumbling. 

The guards who stood by the large doors gingerly closed them shut, allowing the Viking through, the cracks along the walls where the doors had slammed into re emerged from the last time he did this. Stomping over as if he owned the place, not that anyone within the castle walls paid any mind. Torbjorn followed their master into hell and back several times, for intents and purposes, this was the Lord’s brother. 

“Took you long enough!” the short man laughed, tapping his foot impatiently although he beamed with joy upon seeing his old friend. 

Reinhardt let out a hearty laugh, taking a knee to get just barely eye level with the Viking and envelope him in a tight embrace. 

“Torbjorn, I thought the Valkyries would have made off with you by now,” he said with a chuckle, pulling back to hold him out at arms length to look him over.    
  
It had only been a few years since he set off to hunt for dragons across the sea in the name of honor and glory, his large blonde beard now nearly the length of his small but sturdy body in thick braids with red leathers. A similar strip crossed over a terribly scarred eye holding a patch, he wore more scars than armor. Shield and two axes strapped to his back and war hammer to his belt, he didn’t look that much different since the day he left. 

Other than the stench of the sea and a wooden arm.  

“Not yet! But look at you two fools, hair full of ash and carrying weight under your eyes? Peace time does not suit you two.”

“Says the man who forgot to bring his arm.” Jack said dryly,”Leave it behind with a dragon?”

The viking barely glanced over the light brown wood that strapped across his chest to replace his left arm up to the shoulder. He shrugged, knocking on the wood as it let out a heavy thunk. 

“Bah, completely worth it! I’ll tell you the story later, but to more pressing matters eh? I received word from my girl something is happening? Thought you could use a hand and I still got at least one of those.” 

Reinhardt laughed, of course his new apprentice was smart enough to catch wind of some trouble on the horizon. She must have sent a raven weeks before Reinhardt even considered it to ensure it found her father across the sea. 

“Things have become quite complicated rather quickly. Walk with me. We have much to discuss.”

With the Viking and Captain close behind, Reinhardt led them out of the throne room and into the deep halls of the castle. 

“Where is my girl anyway?” Torbjorn asked as his good eye casually scanned the large portraits of Reinhardt’s family line hung along the walls as they walked by. 

“Brigitte is still at the forge doing repairs on her armor.” Jack replied, shaking his head with a short chuckle,”She’s been there for hours on end but she’s determined to complete her work. You should have warned us that she was as stubborn as you!”

Torbjorn laughed,”Lindholms don’t leave a job half finished!”

Soon the three men reached the end of a dark hallway, void of light or guards, the large wooden double doors let out a long groan as Reinhardt pushed them open. 

An old war room, once full of activity had gone dark in recent years but now things have changed. 

Jack was quick to step inside and light the sconces around the large circular room where a large table in the middle sat bare and dusty with disuse, surrounded by chairs.

Old maps still hung on the walls, red and black ink still staining the weathered leather with lines, circles around towns, old battle strategies now nailed to the wood like trophies of past victories. 

“I still cannot thank you enough, your daughter is a brilliant blacksmith and an even better apprentice.” Reinhardt smiled, sincere in his words as he pulled the large mahogany chair out to take a seat.    
  
“Jack, please call for drinks. We are going to need them.”

The Captain nodded and quietly made his way out to find the closest servant as Torbjorn hopped into a seat across from Reinhardt.

He lost count of how many meetings were held in this place, how many Captains and Commanders who were given orders and motivational speeches about the glory of the fight.    
  
But now the room was quiet, giving off a somber atmosphere and Torbjorn let out a long sigh. 

“I won’t lie, I was hesitant to let her go when she requested to wear your crest on her armor. But not surprised, you have that effect on people, inspire others to fight beside you and I know that.”

He paused, biting his lip on his words before continuing, “Reinhardt I hope you don’t misunderstand. I am excited to see her progress but I have to ask if there is another hidden motive here.” 

Reinhardt didn’t bother asking for clarification as the Viking’s eye slowly looked upwards and behind where he sat. 

High above the trophy maps of lands he had conquered over the years sat two paintings. Each on one side of where Reinhardt sat. 

To his left, a portrait of a young woman in blue armor, a beautiful falcon emblazoned on the chest with a helmet tucked under her arm, curved slightly to appear as a bird of prey. Her confident smile and determined eyes immortalized in paint. 

To his right, an older woman, snow white hair slowly enveloping her dark strands with a beautiful calming smile causing light wrinkles at the corner of her eyes dressed beautiful silks and a sari.

All he had left of either of them now sat quietly in his old war room, a place he chose to close the doors to forever and swore to never use to rage war. 

“Brigitte will never replace my daughter.” he said quietly, leaning back against the chair letting out a long sigh, offering a sad smile,“For one thing, she actually listened to me and took up the shield.”

“Good to know that at least.” 

“Have you heard the stories? A ghostly figure bearing Fareeha’s armor has been wandering the land.”

Torbjorn's eye widened in horror as Reinhardt leaned forward, his hands threaded together pressing his forehead against them in shame.

“Spirits have come to haunt me and rightly so, I do not deserve peace for the sins I’ve committed.”

One of the doors let out a long groan as the Captain returned.

“But that doesn’t mean we will go down without a fight.”

Jack returned with a large frothing mug of ale in one hand and held the door open with the other to let in a young servant girl carrying a tray of two more cups.

The girl was quick to deliver the drinks in front of each man and scurry our but not before stealing a quick glance around the only room in the castle she was never allowed into.

“Our doctor has disappeared, as have our dead, we assume he has made dark deals as his lab and home have gone completely missing. As if no structure ever touched the earth at all, trees and bushes are all that is left.”

Torbjorn took a quick swig if his drink before smacking his lips and placing it back onto the table,“I certainly don’t like the sound of any of that.” 

“Agreed, we sent out ravens to local hunters to help track him down.” 

“And who do you have?” 

Reinhardt nodded over to his Captain to take over before leaning back and taking a long drink.

Jack reached into his coat and pulled out three letters and placed them onto the table to be looked over. Each response written as intricate and different as the people who wrote them.

“Jesse Van Helsing McCree, expensive but he does good work. Vampires are his primary prey but he can track better than most. He’s requested an obscene amount of money for his services but is willing to negotiate.” 

Reinhardt grunted an approval, “I’m not surprised, who else?”

“The Archer, Hanzo Shimada has expressed interest in working with us. I’ve seen him in action myself and I have to admit he’s quite the impressive shot”  
  
Torbjorn reached out and grabbed one of the letters with the Archer’s name, it written eloquently in its cursive with a signature in English and kanji.

“What’s a man from the west doing here?”

“He searches for his brother and has been for nearly a year. He has requested spies and information in hopes of aiding his hunt.”

Reinhardt hummed to himself, stroking his beard in thought,“Hm...that can be doable. Next?”

“The Huntress has responded, however she is bringing another with her. A protege of sorts.” 

The Lord paused for a moment in thought, at the time he sent out ravens to these hunters he had nearly forgotten they had met once. It was short, a few papers exchanged and signatures here and there but otherwise the woman was quiet, precise and rather imposing if he was being honest. 

“The Countess Lacroix. I haven’t seen her in years, what could a woman like that desire?”

“Well, first her partner is named Lena Oxton and has requested a house, a plot of land and half a dozen chickens.” 

Reinhardt held his mug to his lips but froze on the spot as he processed such an innocent ask, Torbjorn however snorted into his ale,”Ha! What kind of request is that of a powerful Lord? Some stability? She must be a new hunter.” 

But the Lord shrugged, an easy enough reward for services,“And the Lady herself?”

“She demands the head of the witch.” 

This time Reinhardt did spit out his drink, nearly choking on it at the very mention of the eyes hidden in the shadows.

“...I’m sorry?”

“A room full of monster hunters, she requests that fight to be hers alone.” Jack paused a moment, glancing down at the letter before him, beautiful cursive with winding letters ending in sharp tails, “She’s also very confident the Witch is involved, she will come bearing information about what she knows.” 

“I was afraid of that but it makes the most sense” he groaned, pinching the bridge of his nose, but nodded regardless,“Very well, the land is a simple task. She will have to negotiate that request with the others when they arrive.” 

Jack bowed slightly in affirmation before swiping the letters back into his coat,“They all should be here within two days time.” 

“Good I will address them together at once.” Reinhardt paused a moment to point over to the Viking across from him,”I’d like you and Brigitte to be there.” 

Torbjorn raised a curious brow,“Me, I suspected as much, but my daughter? You think she’s ready for a fight?”

There was nothing on this earth that could have stopped the massive grin of pride that slowly grew across the Lord’s face.

“Oh I can assure you she is very ready.” 

 

* * *

 

Tucked away in the far corner of the castle outside its walls was a forge, massive in size was once capable of allowing ten to twenty blacksmiths work constantly building armor and weapons for soldiers preparing for war. 

Now during Adlersbrunn’s time of peace, only one lone blacksmith remained. Hammering away at super heated steel, the heavy mallet slamming down on thick metal into shape echoed off the stone walls of the castle that stood looming over her. 

“Brigitte I thought I told you to stop working when the sun is down!”

At the sound of her mentor, Brigitte immediately stopped her methodical hammering to whip around, finding him just as he descended the stairs. 

“I’m sorry my Lord, I’m almost d-” her words died on her lips as a familiar short man was spotted walking just behind the massive Lord. 

Her eyes lit up with excitement as she dropped her hammer in surprise,“Papa!”

Torbjorn however froze in place as what he assumed to be his little girl stepped out of the forge. Tall as he remembered but twice as long red hair than he recalled now tied back in a messy bun with a literal metal stake holding it all in place. She removed the thick leather apron and tossed it aside as he stared, mouth agape in shock at the size of her.

He couldn’t help but laugh in a nervous fit of shock as she quickly knelt down and pulled him into a tight embrace. A very strong embrace that nearly knocked the wind out of him.

“Reinhardt what have you done to my daughter?!” he exclaimed, holding her out in front of him to glare at the large man who watched on with a wide knowing grin on his face, “I can’t seem to find her anywhere. Just this beautiful valkyrie here!”

Brigitte blushed furiously, her face matching her hair, “Papa please…” 

“Look at you my girl, I couldn’t recognize you!” he laughed, reaching out with his good hand to cup her face as he studied her features. The bright blue eyes of the ocean were still very much the same, her freckled cheeks and wide smile matching his. 

Although covered in black smudges and sweat from a hard days work she laughed and leaned in to place a big kiss on his cheek.

“It’s so good to see you!”

He opened his mouth to reply but was once again cut silent as her hands slipped and squeezed her massive bicep. 

Torbjorn slowly looked up at his best friend, unsure if he should be proud of terrified at the solid muscle underneath.

“Reinhardt I was only gone for a few years, what have you been feeding her?”

Brigitte stifled a giggle, but brought up her arm in question and pulled her hand into a tight fist as she flexed. 

“By Odin’s beard….” he gasped, gently poking at the bulging muscle,”My child is a beautiful dreadnought,” he sniffled, her lower lip puckering as a stray tear slipped down his cheek with pride.

“I’m so glad you got my letter, I was so worried yoooooh by the gods what happened to your arm?!” 

Torbjorn blinked away the last of his tears and followed her horrified gaze towards the wooden arm that hung limp at his side.

But he just shrugged,“It’s but a flesh wound”

Brigitte let out a long groan, slapping her own forehead in shame,“Papa please you’re going to run out of body parts soon!” 

Torbjorn puffed out his chest and laughed,“So long as I can wield an axe I shall never stop!” 

Reinhardt let out a hearty laugh, slapping the Viking on the back as he walked past the tearful reunion towards the forge.

“I can see it now, you holding one in between your teeth,” he chuckled, carefully weaving through the the anvils and blades until he reached the table where polish and leather straps were stern about alongside beautiful silver plated armor,”This is great work Brigitte, battle ready in no time!” he grinned, beaming with pride knocking the plate with his knuckle, satisfied with the sharp sound. 

“Ah, thank you my Lord. It’s not quite finished though, I still need to-”

“No no, none of that.” he cut her off with a stern tone,”Your Father just arrived from across the seas, you may return at sunrise.”

Torbjorn nodded, “Come lass, let’s go. You need to rest and I miss your Mother! We have much to catch up on, I heard you broke Reinhardt’s shield! Don’t you know that shield carried us across a hail of arrows for miles!?” 

“Bashed it in she did! With a mace! I still have bruises!” 

Brigitte smiled sheepishly, her face flaring up once more as she mumbled,”I fixed it best I could…” 

Reinhardt shook his head, stepping out of the forge with a light nod, Brigitte immediately stood up at full attention. 

“Come on you two, go home, kiss your wife, hug your siblings, we will make plans in the days to come” he smiled, reaching out and placing a large hand over her shoulder. 

“You’ve been training hard, and I believe what will transpire soon will be a defining moment for you. Enjoy the time you have with your family, you understand?”

The Viking stood by quietly, there was a heaviness to his words that made his heart sink. It didn’t feel so long ago he recalled watching another young woman try to best Reinhardt in combat.

Brigitte nodded confidently,”Yes my Lord, thank you.”

“Good, now off with you” he said, making a small motion with this hand to shoo her away. 

His apprentice ran off, returning to the forge to collect her things as Torbjorn let out a long sigh.

“Thank you Reinhardt...honestly and truly.”

“No I should be thanking you” he laughed, shaking his head almost embarrassed,”I know you had your doubts and rightfully so but having her around has helped me heal as well.”

A comfortable silence hung in the air as Brigitte hummed happily to herself, grabbing her satchel and small beige cloak.

“Reinhardt you’ll have to forgive yourself eventually.” the Viking mumbled quietly. 

“Perhaps someday.”

“Ready!” Brigitte grinned, out of pure habit as if not a day had gone by she reached out her hand to her father who immediately took it. 

“Farewell my Lord,” Torbjorn nodded one last time up at the large man before walking off with his daughter’s hand in a firm but gentle grip. 

Brigitte giggled slightly as she began to slowly swing their interlocked hands back and forth as they used to when she was much smaller than he was. The fierce Viking warrior only laughed and went along with it as he loudly asked for her stories. Wanting to hear her adventures this time than tell his own. 

Reinhardt remained where he was, watching the two walk off deep in conversation about the tale of the broken shield until they were out of sight, leaving him to stand alone outside in the middle of the courtyard. He let out a lung full of air he didn’t realize was keeping in, his shoulders sagging as he watched his breath become steam out of his lips. 

 

Night always fell hard on Adlersbrunn, the frigid air merciless on its citizens but like them he had become accustomed to it. 

 

The cold breeze, the distant chirp of nocturnal birds and beautiful stars illuminating the dark brought an overwhelming sense of calm.    
  
But that made him uneasy, a foreboding sense of peace before a storm.

 

He would enjoy it while he could.


	20. Interlude

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> And now for something soft.

“Ame, I really don’t like this.” Lena sighed, staring off past the tight knit thicket of trees to where the sun threatened to peak over in just a few hours,”Are you sure we can’t keep going? Maybe find some place to sleep? You know...indoors?”

“As much as I agree, we don’t have much of a choice. The next town is too far off and the horses need to rest.  _ We _ need to rest, we’ve been on the road for hours and it won’t be long before sunrise and I’d rather be prepared to hide in this lovely tent you’ve made than be without it.”

Lena huffed, glancing back at their would-be shelter. 

A rope was tied to two nearby trees, completely taut and just tight enough to hold up a long blanket as it draped down to the forest floor. Lena had taken each edge and pinned it into the earth with Amelie’s stakes, creating a simple tent that in theory would be enough to block out the sun and keep them covered until they set off again tomorrow night. 

Feeling a little paranoid the blanket was too thin, Lena had draped her black cloak on top.

Amelie had finished making a small fire, it was mostly for Lena’s sake than her own. She didn’t feel the cold nor fear the dark of the forest, they wouldn’t need it long anyway and Lena was intent on snacking the entire trip so there was no need to cook. But she seemed to appreciate the extra light as she darted from bag to bag, shifting through the supplies donated to them by the Hammered Hearth she eventually found more blankets and even a large wolf fur pelt. 

Sitting back against rough bark of a tree she watched in amusement as Lena excitedly pulled both of their bed rolls and slipped them into the tent, placing the blanket and fur on top.

“I still don’t like the idea of being out here...you know where all the creepy monsters we hunt are, but hey at least the sun will be out soon and there will be nothing to worry about.” Lena huffed, satisfied with her work she flopped down beside the fire, letting out a long sigh, happy to not be on a horse for once. Not that she minded her rear being sore, just not from horseback riding. 

Amelie knocked her head back, taking a long swig from her flask before sitting it aside in favor of removing her coat from her shoulders,“Don’t get too comfy cherie, did you set up the traps like I showed you?

“Uh huh!” 

Jacket folded and placed neatly aside her also folded cloak, she slipped off her leather gloves,”The net?”

“Yep!” Lena nodded, pointing behind her to the trigger and the net hidden in a nearby tree as Amelie placed her gloves carefully on the pile of clothes. 

“Alarm? Tripwire? Crossbow?”

Lena grinned, twisting around and pointing to every spot surrounding their camp to ensure not even a curious rabbit would get within a few feet. 

“And horses are tied up with food and near water!” 

Lena placed her chin atop her fist as she beamed, patiently awaiting a response to all of her good word. 

Amelie tapped her chin in thought, she knew everything was done to perfection because Lena wouldn’t have shown her if it wasn’t. Yet she remained appearing suspicious as she carefully eyed each trap from where she sat. A long moment paused before she finally shrugged,“Not bad.”

A playful smile tugged on her lips as Lena’s face dropped into a pout.

“Oh come on! There is nothing getting through to us!” despite her confidence, Lena fell quiet and thought for a moment,”...alright without at least a warning.” she paused again, rethinking her words,”...I hope?”

“You think yourself a trap master now?”

Lena immediately flashed a coy smile and winked playfully at the Huntress,“I had an excellent teacher.” 

Amelie shook her head in amusement,“Flattery will get you everywhere in this world cherie.”

“Don’t I know it.” 

“But I recommend that you stay humble, there are plenty of things that could just walk in here and do away with us for as long as the sun sleeps.” 

Lena’s smug expression slowly faded away as she realized Amelie was no longer looking at her, but past her. 

“For example, do not look at her in the eyes or your soul will be sucked into the void.”

Lena blinked twice.

“Uh, what.” 

Amelie pulled herself up from the tree and pointed downwards, “Keep your eyes down,” she whispered just harsh enough to be quiet and commanding. 

Without questioning any further, Lena did so, keeping her eyes on the ground as she slowly turned around. 

Just outside of her peripheral a strange white cloud caught her attention in the distance, she blinked hard as if maybe sitting too close to the fire was impeding on her vision but there it was, a large massive body and four thick legs, slowly walking with heavy, but silent footsteps. But as it turned, as if realizing it was being watched, Lena’s blood ran cold, and her eyes darted downwards again upon realizing it was in the form of a bear. 

An incredibly large translucent bear. 

“What...the hell...is that…” Lena whispered back with panic in her voice, but as she turned back to face the her, she found herself slightly reassured at the small smile Amelie had on her face. 

A sincere smile as if seeing an old friend again after years apart. 

“Who. She doesn’t travel far from the dark of the forest. Many humans have never see her, granted those that do are never seen again. Her legend has died away and I find myself  alright with that. The fewer curious humans the better for everyone.”

Lena gulped, slowly turning back to find the white figure approaching them. No leaves or sticks broke beneath the weight of it’s massive paws, no snort or growl to indicate its presence or even the slightest hint of hot breath as it came closer. 

“But what is she?” she whispered back, grasping her arm in hopes it would stop feeling numb, on the verge of disappearing out of fear as the ghost bear approached her, walking right through her tripwires and traps unfazed.

On all fours it easily towered over her, having to dip it’s head lower to sniff the top of Lena’s head.

Much to her horror, she could feel it. 

She squeaked in surprise as a nose pressed against the back of her neck, sniffing her curiously, nearly knocking her over. But even so, there was not even the slightest hint of wetness or warm breath.

“You’re alright,” Amelie mumbled quietly,”Just stay still, you’re new to her.”

Lena remained utterly frozen, despite running into various violent monsters so far in her short career as a monster hunter, the fact that this creature came to her so nonchalantly was almost more terrifying. 

Thankfully, the bear was done sooner than Lena expected. Moving away from Lena, she lumbered over to Amelie.

“Hello my friend, it’s been a while,” she whispered so quietly that Lena nearly missed it.

Now out of direct eye contact but still within reach, Lena cautiously unraveled, releasing her vice grip on her own arms and turned slowly to get a better look. 

This bear, easily twice the size of an ordinary brown bear, was glowed with white light, shining through it’s large translucent body that she could see right through. But it was the strange small white dots that caught her attention the most, dotted in seemingly random spots around its body - yet felt strangely familiar.

The bear stood before the hunter, pressing her nose against the side of her face, snorting lightly. 

“I’m...a little different than when we last met.” 

Lena quietly watched as Amelie reached out and took both of it’s ears into her grasp and scratched behind them with a smile on her face. 

“But it’s still me, you see?” 

The bear said nothing as it flopped to lie onto her stomach, keeping her big head on Amelie’s lap as a quiet indication to continue the scratching. 

Lena couldn’t believe it, the very creature Amelie had said herself would devour one’s soul was in her lap like a dog. 

“What is she?” she tried again, softer this time.

Amelie shrugged as the bear opened its mouth to let out a silent yawn before closing its eyes, enjoying the soft touch as she stroked the large X shaped scar over it’s right eye, as if it had not felt a gentle touch in a very long time. 

“Many years ago the people called her a Ghost Bear, a white spirit wandering the forests that would bring misfortune. But honestly, even I’m not entirely sure, as odd as it may sound I’m rather convinced that she belongs among the stars.” she said, pausing for a moment to point upwards. 

Lena followed her hand and looked straight up, past the dark silhouette of branches and leaves where bright white dots pierced through the dark sky, seemingly matching the bear’s body.  

“Such a powerful celestial being has no business being down here but here she is, enjoying the occasional petting when she can get it.” 

Amelie sighed, her fingers gently stroking the length of her snout as she mumbled to herself quietly, “What happened to you, that you were cast down to roam the earth forever?” 

Feeling the calm demeanor of her partner, Lena finally relaxed and with slow, calculated movements, she quietly crawled over closer to the bear. It did nothing, other than it’s ears perked up knowing something was coming in close. 

Finding a spot on the ground beside it’s massive paws folded up beneath its body, Lena sat there and reached out. 

To her surprise, she felt fur between her fingers, thick and soft tresses that she could feel but not see. She watched as her hand touched the outline of white but couldn’t see what she was feeling. 

Curiosity overflowing, she glanced upwards at Amélie. 

Her eyes were lost, glazed over in deep thought as she continued to stroke the bear’s face.

“How do you come to know all this? Become friends with a star bear? Know where harpy’s live and the like?”

Amelie remained silent for a moment, recalling the two voices who she could properly call her mentors before becoming The Huntress. 

“The Witch at first, when I would run into the woods and away from my responsibilities, pretending to be a foolish nymph” she scoffed at herself,”Angela showed me many things but she was very opinionated, that what lies beyond the treeline and resides in shadows were more superior than humans. That I should be so lucky to be taught such knowledge and spared.”

Oh the joyous look on The Witch’s face when she met Amelie as a new vampire with fresh golden eyes. 

“Gerard had…” Amelie paused a moment, choosing her words carefully as a small smile began to form at the corner of her lips at the memory,”He had a...different approach”

 

_ Ame! Amelie look a little pixie bit me! My skin is turning purple, isn’t this fascinating? _

 

“I distinctly recall meeting this bear for the first time with Angela, she told me this bear would eat humans on sight. But if you avoid eye contact and remain still she might spare you. Gerard however…” 

  
_ You fool! That thing will kill you! _

 

_ What? This beautiful lady here? Nonsense! Just avoid eye contact and move slowly and quietly like so! _

 

_ Are you insane?! _

 

_ I like to keep my eyes straight up, towards these big beautiful ears. They’re so round and she loves to be pet right around here! _

 

“Let’s just say it was an utter miracle he survived for as long as he did” she laughed, her nails finding the very same spot around the round ears, earning a low growl of approval,“He loved the forest for all it’s dark flaws and always wanted to learn why certain things did what they did. He only ever drew the line at harming humans, otherwise, he was friends with most fae, warlocks and werewolves.”

Lena pressed her knuckles against her lips to stifled a laugh,“He sounds like fun, couldn’t imagine how on earth you two got along”

Amelie chuckled,“Yes well he was a lot like…” 

Her face suddenly dropped as utter realization crossed her features.

His bright wide eyes, loud voice she once thought to be obnoxious, always asking questions and the talking. So much talking.  

 

_ Oh god I have a type. _

 

“Like…?”

“Never mind, the point is he taught me that regardless of who or what we all have a choice. She could have killed us if she wanted but she didn’t. Some vampires choose to kill humans for blood, others do so without murder.”

“And some witches are nicer than others,” Lena added quietly, a touch of bitterness to her voice but Amelie nodded in agreement. 

The bear on her lap let out a long sigh from it’s snout, dust and leaves blowing away in its wake. 

“You know, we should move to the tent” Lena whispered harshly.

Amelie could only stare at her with a soft glare as she pointed down at her lap where the bear’s massive head lay across,“Do you want to wake her?”

Lena gulped, the bear did make a conscious decision to not kill them but perhaps it was best to not give her a reason to change that decision and offered an apologetic smile instead,“Ah...no not really.” 

Feeling particularly brave, or again, curious beyond reason, Lena slowly leaned in, resting her head against the bear’s side. Fur brushed against her face and to her utter shock, she felt the rise and fall as it breathed in a calm pattern. Excitedly adjusting herself, she draped an arm over it’s shoulders and buried her face in it’s fur with a silly smile on her face, she might as well enjoy it while Amelie was trapped, letting the gentle rock of it’s breath lull her to sleep. 

The Huntress just rolled her eyes and let her head rest against the tree behind her, her fingers toyed with the fur behind her ears until soon the exhaustion of their travels took over and finally to rest.

 

* * *

 

Lena awoke to a chill as the early morning breeze brushed past her cheek, she grumbled in annoyance, reaching out to grab something for warmth but only found dirt and dried leaves in her fist. She groaned, muscles ached and bones cracked as she rolled over and rubbing her eyes with the back of her hand. 

Blinking the haze of an uncomfortable rest from her eyes she found herself staring straight up where trees stood tall and towering over her as the darkness of night slowly dissipated into a light blue hue. 

Lena carefully pulled herself up, plucking dead leaves and sticks from her hair as she glanced around the camp.    
  
No traps were set off, the horses were where she tied them off and sleeping, Amelie still sat propped up by the tree but there was no ghostly bear in sight. 

Which made sense as the sun began its slow ascension, cutting through the dense wood and low fog.

At first glance, Lena grumbled, annoyed with her strange new sleeping schedule. She had began to detest the sun and it’s obnoxious light. Scooting over the cold and dewy grass, Lena lazily dropped herself over Amelie’s lap, arms outstretched with her head buried into her thighs. 

Amelie grunted, jolted awake for only a moment but immediately fell right back to sleep, shifting slightly to a more comfortable position against the tree as her hands dropped to the side but the other rested atop Lena’s back.

Lena sighed happily, feeling rest returning once more she was nearly on the cusp of falling unconscious until realization struck her like glass shattering.

Her eyes popped open just in time to notice the soft sizzling sound of something burning in the sunrise. At first Amelie didn’t seem to notice, she remained unconscious even as Lena scrambled up and off her lap to reach out and grab the thick black cloak beside her.

Only a second too late, Amelie’s eyes opened as her the skin on her hand let out a sickening pop. She shrieked and pulled her hand out of the sun light, clutching it to her chest as she hissed in pain. Lena immediately threw the cloak over her head, holding it up and standing up to loom over her to provide as much shade as she could. 

“Oh fuck, Ame are you ok?!”

“ _ Ah...fils de pute! _ ” Amelie snarled, her fangs barred in anger at herself as she nervously glanced down.    
  
Her right hand was bright red and peeling, pink muscle and flesh was beginning to peak through as her skin was literally being eaten away by the sunrise.

Lena gulped, a terrible feeling settling in the pit of her stomach as she realized Amelie was shaking. 

“C’mon love lets go inside yeah?”

Amelie didn’t answer but nodded mutely, taking the cloak and holding it over her head as she followed Lena towards the tent. The added cape on top of the blanket seemed to have done the trick as little to no light penetrated their shelter. 

Amelie unceremoniously slipped inside and flopped face first into the fur,”I thought we were friends but that bear just tried to get me killed just now.” she huffed, pulling the thick wool cloak over her head as she lay there exhausted and ashamed for making such a novice mistake. 

Lena carefully slipped in beside her, lying on her side she held herself up on her elbow as she watched in mild horror and fascination as Amelie’s hand slowly re knit itself back together. 

Her wounded hand lay flat against the furs but her other hand clutched her wrist, squeezing and forcing herself to stop shaking as the agonizingly slow healing process began. She quietly hissed in pain as flesh regrew and skin reappeared.

Moments passed until smooth skin returned with only a slight red tinge to her pale color like a light sunburn, she sighed of relief and removed her own vice grip from her wrist and pulled the cover off her head to inspect the damage. 

No scarring and it was good as new faster than usual, which was probably thanks to Lena’s blood still in her system. She made a small grunt of approval at her own cursed body’s talents and buried her face into the fur. 

“Sorry love but to be fair ghost bear was very comfortable,” Lena giggled, reaching out and offering a back rub for her troubles. 

“The  _ one day _ we choose to be outside is the one day it’s not so cloudy” Amelie grumbled. 

“Just our-” Lena’s words trailed away as a familiar feeling crept up along her legs, or the lack thereof. Her chest clenched in fear as she froze in place but forced out the rest of her sentence in a calm manner to not raise any suspicion,”Just our luck”. 

Both of her legs from the knee down had gone numb, fading in and out of existence. She bit her lip, refusing to look down and confirm it knowing she would be thrown into a panic. 

Amelie pulled her arms in, crossing them over as a makeshift pillow she turned to face Lena and instantly she had forgotten about her missing legs. 

“Yeah just...the unluckiest…” Lena finally mumbled with a distracted smile plastered over her face as she found a hard time picking what to see to be grounded. 

Not that there weren’t enough, but too many to choose from. 

She saw Amelie’s short fangs as she let out an wide yawn, despite her exhaustion her golden eyes still seemed to glow under the shade of their tent, that adorable birthmark over her lip and her heart seemed to have stopped as Amelie lazily reached out and untied the thick ribbon holding her ponytail in place and watched in awe as it crumpled around the back of her neck like a waterfall.    
  
Amelie groaned in relief, scratching the back of her skull as her eyes began to droop. Outside of their tent birds began to sing their morning song, wind brushed past the trees and the soft flow of the nearby river created a gentle song of relaxation.

“Lena?” the Huntress finally asked, confused by the silence she glanced over her arms to find big brown eyes staring at her. 

“Nothin, just...thinkin,” she whispered, scooting over closer to reach out but stopped herself. True they were more than close last night but strangely this felt...different. More intimate than they were accustomed too without the goal of sex in the end.

“May I?” Lena asked quietly but blinked back in surprise at the quick response of Amélie nodding and closing her eyes awaiting her touch. Lena grinned as she brushed the mass of silky black tresses from her face. 

Amelie grunted in approval, burying her face into the crook of her arm as Lena ran her fingers through her hair. Her nails giving a light drag against her scalp earning another soft sigh.

There were plenty of other things she could make a mental list of to ground herself, more to see and touch and hear but her mind draw a blank as Amelie unfolded her arms and stretched out like a cat. 

“What are you waiting for?” she mumbled, annoyance in her voice as she reached out and pushed Lena at the shoulder just enough to force her to fall back flat onto the furs.

Lena remained still as the grumpy sleep deprived vampire pulled herself up just enough to lie her head atop Lena’s chest. Her arms wrapped around her small frame and legs intertwined. 

Both legs Lena now knew where back to normal.

“Go to sleep cherie” Amelie grumbled.

She wanted to laugh, feeling an insane rush of irony at the strange events that led up to this moment.

Lena carefully took the cloak draped over her shoulders and lifted it just enough to cover her head, encasing both of them in darkness.

“G’night love” she whispered, dipping her head low enough to place an innocent kiss against her cold forehead. 

Amelie just grunted before falling completely unconscious with Lena close behind.


	21. Treat yourself

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Welcome to Adlersbrunn. 
> 
> Finally.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A BIG THANK YOU TO RHITTA AND MOONWATCHER. THANK YOU GUYS SO MUCH FOR YOUR SUPPORT.

“Halt!”

In a drastic change of events, Amélie had insisted that they make it to their destination by mid afternoon. Although the past two days out in the forest were pleasant and better precautions were made to avoid getting burned, she had a list of errands to do before meeting the Lord of Adlersbrunn that night. Thus here they were, during normal human hours for the first time in quite some time. 

Fortunately the weather was in their favor, strange as it may be. It was cloudy, more so than usual.

The duo arrived at the large gates of the city, Amélie’s hood casting a shadow over her face as she announced herself.

“I am Countess Amélie Danielle Lacroix, Lord Adlersbrunn has called for me and my companion.” 

Lena held her breath as the men wielding rifles immediately straightened up at the commanding tone. She couldn’t help the smallest smile that escaped from the corner of her lips as they quickly opened the gates for them without question. It brought a strange feeling of satisfaction along with it; she never had a good relationship with guards and as a thief herself, she had done her fair share of time in prison.

“The Lord has requested you see him at sundown this evening,” one guard stepped forward, addressing both of them but The Huntress was not interested in acknowledging him. 

”Very well then, The Cracked Cauldron?”    
  
“Follow the road and make a right at the fork ma’am” 

“Good, shall we?” she nodded and tapping her steed with her heel and set off into town.

Lena followed closely, her chin raised high as she rode past the guards, waiting until the main gate was closed shut behind them before speeding up just enough to ride side by side.  

“You’re incredibly beautiful when you intimidate people,” she laughed, flashing a flirty grin. 

Amélie rolled her eyes but smiled regardless, the faintest blush coloring her cheeks,“That’s not necessarily the response I’m going for - but once again your bias is showing.” 

Lena meant to add a witty reply but as they continued further into the city, the atmosphere of the town grew catching her attention as she realized this was the largest town she had ever been in. 

There was the usual shouting of the marketplace but there nearly three times as many vendors as Lena had ever seen. She craned her neck to see two storey buildings tightly packed next to each other on the cobbled road, where strong hooves against it clopped with every step and carts rattled and shook as they went.    
  
Normally Lena could see the exit of a town from the road she entered in, but streets in this town turned and twisted, branching off into smaller channels and getting lost in the sea of buildings. It was loud and bustling, so crowded with busy people that a part of her was itching to swipe some coin, out of habit. It would be so easy. 

Speaking of which, Lena immediately noticed a woman yelp in surprise as a man bumped into her, just hard enough to make her drop her things. An old trick she knew very well as the man apologized profusely, crouching down to help her pick up the food she had dropped, very easily pocketing a couple of small apples in the process. 

“Watch your purse love,” Lena called out kindly, tossing a single gold coin to the man who could only stare at her in confusion as they continued on their way. 

As directed, they took a right at the end of the road and above the overwhelming sounds of the city they found music pouring out of a large two story building with a wooden sign in the shape of a witch’s cauldron with a long scratch along its front. 

Hitching their horses, the two made it inside, luckily not too crowded yet, the sun was still up and work was still to be done but that would change soon as musicians rehearsed on a small stage in the corner preparing for the night’s performance. Lena immediately walked forward as Amélie held out her coin purse with a quiet request to speak to the barkeep in her stead. 

“Oy! I’m lookin for Tanner!” she asked, flagging down a man in an apron the moment the he set down a drink for someone.

He returned to the other side of the bar, swiping a rag from his shoulder to wipe his hands as Lena leaned over with a welcoming smile. 

“That would be me. What you ladies be needing?”

“A room, we’ve been called by the Lord Adlersbrunn.”

Tanner’s eyes widened in a pleasant surprise as Lena nodded off over her shoulder, gesturing towards her companion to confirm her statement. Finding a tall woman with a dark cloak, intense gaze and horribly scarred face that could have only been caused by some gruesome creature. 

“More hunters in my inn? I couldn’t be happier.” 

“We also bring well wishes from The Hammered Hearth.” 

Immediately the man’s face fell into a soft genuine smile,”Aw...I miss those girls...Ever try Molly’s bread rolls?”

Lena scoffed,“Have I? They are to die for!” 

Just as she reached into her purse the man held up his hand and shook his head,“Any friends of Molly ‘n Specs are friends of mine. Besides, we have a couple other hunters staying here as well and as such the Lord has requested your rooms be covered by his grace.”

This caught Amélie’s attention, and her eyebrows raised as she slowly scanned the room for any familiar faces.

“I love this place already!” Lena grinned, slipping the purse into her large pocket as Tanner crouched down below the bar in search for a roomkey. 

“We have a few rooms set up and ready, two beds or-”

“One is fine.”

It came out faster than she expected. 

Lena froze in place as she felt two piercing eyes burning holes in the back of her head, she responded too quickly and without consulting Amélie. She gulped, her heart dropping to her stomach as heels clicked behind her.

“Is that ok? I can change it if you wan-”

“It’s been quite some time since I’ve last been in town, is the bath house still in operation?”

Lena blinked back in surprise.

“The what now? That’s a thing?” 

Amélie glanced down at her companion with a look of exhaustion in her eyes. 

“I haven’t had a decent soak in weeks and you’re in absolutely no state to speak to anyone right now let alone the Lord of Adlersbrunn.”   
  
Lena’s jaw dropped, offended by the statement but dropped her head down just enough to sniff her shirt. 

“Just further down the road on the left, it’s the nicest smelling building in town can’t miss it.” 

Amélie couldn’t leave fast enough, swiping the key and tossing the man a gold piece for his troubles she left the tavern in long quick strides with Lena struggling to keep up. 

The Huntress was on a mission. 

Just as Tanner said, a building on left gave off a faint aroma of flowers and soft incense, such a stark difference than the stuffy city. Amélie quickened her pace, like a woman dying of thirst she made it inside, the door nearly slapping Lena as she ran to catch up with such long legs, just in time to see her slap a handful of gold pieces on the front desk. The man behind it yelped in surprise as the tall woman loomed over him with a forced polite smile.   
  
“Good afternoon, I need a private room. Two baths. One with red rose petals. The other with lavender and a lot of it. Clothes are needing to be laundered and pressed, Wash them three times if you have to. We are to see the Lord this evening and we must be presentable.”   
  
He stared for a moment, letting the words sink in as he slowly looked down at the small pile of gold on his desk easily three times the amount he was about to charge her. He quickly jumped to his feet, scooping the gold into his grasp as he flashed a bright smile.

“Right away!” he said before running, grabbing every worker on his way to assist him. 

It didn’t take long, money tended to bring forth faster results. Amélie didn’t splurge often but when she did she made it a point to take care of herself.

Soon they were escorted by the same man from the front desk, his demeanor poised and proper with a wide excited smile, ready and eager to please.

“I am Fabian, I own this establishment and I will be seeing to your needs personally. These ladies will retrieve your clothing in a few moments to be washed.” 

“Merci.” Amélie had already removed his cloak from her shoulders as she entered their room, once again placing more gold into the man’s hand as she went. 

Lena followed, hesitant and anxious. It wasn’t a fancy bath house per say, it was another luxury she could never afford and Amélie seemed to have just bought the place for a few hours.

Inside the private room were two porcelain bathtubs filled with warm water, steam still drifting upwards from the surface covered in large red rose petals in one and small purple petals in the other, a small bedside table next to each with rags, perfumes and more flowers should they desire them.

“Enjoy your bath!” Fabian called out before gently shutting the door behind Lena. 

“You uh, really know what you want huh?” 

Amélie had placed her cloak on the coat rack, followed by her jacket and began the tedious ritual of removing her gear. 

“This one is yours,” she said, pointing to the further tub covered in small purple flowers. 

Lena’s eyes lit up. She strolled over, pulling up her sleeve to dip her hand into the warm water. She couldn’t recall the last time she had a hot bath. Lifting her hand out of the water she plucked any small petals from her palm that stuck to her. Curious she leaned in and took a sniff of the small flower, surprised by the pleasant scent. 

“Why the lavender? And so much of it?”

Amélie shrugged, slipping out of her boots, “I like the smell of lavender. It’s nice.”

With that, Lena immediately threw off her old vest and torn bloodied shirt off in a hurry while struggling to throw off her shoes and kick off her breeches at the same time. 

Lifting her leg up and over the porcelain tub she dipped her foot in and froze, the drastic temperature at first brought a chill along her leg until relaxing into the warmth. She stepped in, much slower this time, grasping the edge of the tub and lowered herself in. 

“Ahhhh that’s nice...ok I think I get it now,” she sighed, a silly smile plastered on her face as her body was completely submerged into the warm water. 

“Please tell me you don’t need me to bathe you.” Amélie called out, down to her white blouse and pants she approached Lena’s tub, running her hands through her hair now free from the ponytail. 

Lena sat up as The Huntress loomed over her, crossing her arms over her chest like a defiant child, “I used to take a swim in the lake every once and awhile thank you very much!” she paused a moment before shooting Amélie a playful wink,”But if you’re offering….” 

Amélie smiled, her fingers gently running along her bare shoulder up to the back of her neck. Lena sighed at the touch as Amélie crouched down behind her, placing a soft kiss at the back of her neck before whispering.

“Hold your breath.”

“Wh-”

With barely a warning, Amélie pushed her forward, face first into the water, holding her there for only a few moments before letting go. Lena sat up, sputtering and coughing as she furiously wiped the water and flowers from her eyes.

“Fucking hell!” she coughed, but Amélie only laughed. Moving to the side of the tub she reached out and brushed her wet bangs out of her eyes. Brown hair now lay flat on her head which was amusing to say the least, Lena looked like a fluffy cat now soaked and angry as she glared at Amélie. 

“You smell better already,” she grinned, leaning in to place a quick kiss before standing. 

“Don’t forget I’m a fragile squishy human! Be nice to me!” Lena huffed, shaking her head like a wet dog. 

“Desolee cherie, I’ll make it up to you.” 

Before she could ask, Amélie grabbed a rag from Lena’s table and dipped it into the water beside her. 

A flash of red crossed her features as Amélie placed the soaking rag against the back of her neck, gently scrubbing the dirt and dried blood from her skin. Lena’s eyes fluttered closed at the touch, it was not rough but she felt cleansed and taken care of.

“You’re far more resilient than you think.” Amélie said quietly, putting the rag aside to remove the old bandages from her shoulders. The harpy wounds had mostly healed, they would do better without the grimy wraps now. Lena leaned forward just a bit to allow more access as Amélie carefully wiped down her back, away from bruises and gently over healing wounds. 

Amélie scanned each scrape and cut with a smile of pride, this wasn’t an easy job, someone had to do it and Lena had taken to it fairly well despite the circumstances. 

“You’ve done very well, I’m proud of you.”

The water around her began to darken as the dirt from weeks on the street and the beginnings of her life as a hunter herself was scrubbed away. Beneath the surface Lena’s fingers fumbled together nervously at the words of validation, finding it difficult to not beam with joy. 

“Thank you...for being patient with me,” she mumbled quietly. 

Amélie laughed, gently grasping Lena by the shoulder to gently pull her back against the tub, “You don’t make it easy,” she whispered against her ear before placing small kisses along her shoulders now free of dirt, blood and bandages. 

A few days into their new companionship Lena was still floored by how affectionate Amélie was. Such a fierce and cold demeanor to everyone else, a professional huntress, but behind closed doors she gently nuzzled her face against Lena’s hair and held her close, intertwining their fingers together while they slept, gently kiss the freckles along her cheek and coaxing a small smile or giggle out of her.

“It’d be boring otherwise” Lena purred, turning slightly and gently bumping her forehead against Amélie’s. 

Those golden eyes were soft yet so bright as she smiled, her fingers gently traced Lena’s jaw line just enough to draw her in closer and close the gap between them. 

“My lady are you ready for your clothes to be washed?” the familiar voice of Fabian called out from behind the door. 

Amélie reluctantly pulled away to glare at the offending voice much to Lena’s amusement. 

“C’mon love, you don’t smell like roses either. Least not yet” Lena laughed, placing a farewell kiss on her cheek as Amélie stood back up and returned to her own tub. 

Lena leaned over the edge, watching with a wide grin as Amélie stripped down and set herself into the warm water. It wasn’t often they set out during the day, it was avoided for Amélie’s sake but with the soft light pouring through the thin curtains Lena caught sight of scars she had never noticed before along her back and legs. Sets of claws and bites that tore into her flesh that should have killed her. Not as deep or gruesome as her face but she wore the price of her occupation along her skin. 

Amélie let out a long sigh of utter relief,”I’ll be down here for awhile, they can wash our things now.” 

And with that Amélie descended into the water and remained there. 

Lena blinked hard for a moment, pulling herself up from her own to tub to see over Amélie’s finding strings of wispy black hair tangled in rose petals. Perhaps due to her condition rendering her technically dead she didn’t necessarily  _ need _ to breathe and as such she took advantage of this and submerged herself into complete and utter silence. 

Lena called out to the bath house attendants who quickly retrieved their clothes as Fabian checked up on them, still eager to please his new favorite customers. 

But just as he was to leave, Amélie pulled herself up, completely soaked, petals sticking to her skin and hair rather beautifully. Both Fabian and Lena were left gaping as she finally spoke up. 

“Wine. Red. Thank you”

It took him a brief moment to find himself but he quickly excused himself and shut the door behind him. Lena however continued to stare stupidly as Amélie began to clean herself.

“When this is all over can we buy a big tub for two? I feel like this would be beneficial for multiple reasons,” Lena remarked with a chuckle, recovering from her moment of awe as she continued scrub herself down. 

“Let’s get out of this mess alive and I’ll promise to do just that.” 

In record time Fabian returned with a bottle of wine and two glasses already filled and one quickly placed into Amélie’s awaiting hand.  

“For now, enjoy the high life before hell opens up.” 

Lena forced a laugh as she took her glass and raised it to her companion. 

“Cheers”

 

* * *

 

Lena honestly couldn’t believe how fair she actually was until she looked into a mirror after her bath, or how vibrant her freckles were now that she was able to tell the difference between dirt and skin.

Their clothes were washed and pressed although Lena’s shirt was beyond help no matter how many times tried. Faint traces of blood stained the cotton and torn at the shoulders.

Amélie gave the man and his assistants a generous tip as she requested a tailor for proper repairs but mostly for a new wardrobe for her companion who struggled to tie her oversized breeches by a thick belt. 

Rejuvenated, clean and ready for the remainder of the day Lena kept up with Amélie’s excited stride as they returned to the city and headed towards their next stop. 

“This is so exciting! It’s so nice to have money!” she laughed, opening the door and bowing exuberantly for Amélie as she rolled her eyes. 

Another handful of gold and she had the entire business at her beck and call, but this time Lena chimed in as two women ran around her with a measuring tape, taking every bit of measurement to create or fit anything she could ever want. 

“She needs new breeches that actually fit…”

“Oh can I still have big pockets?”

“New shoes, sturdy but flexible.”

“In black! Can I have them in black?”

“A new belt, new shirt, perhaps a vest?”

“In red! Like yours yeah? Is that alright? You know, so we look like we’re a duo!”

“Very well and perhaps gloves? What do you think?”

“I still want to climb with em, nothing thick or heavy” 

“And bracers, at least a bit of protection would be wise.” 

“I do like not being injured” 

Lena was eventually hurried into a back room with a young woman who worked there as a seamstress, helping Lena into a new look and making alterations as they went. 

“Oh wow, I look so sharp!” Lena gasped, looking down at herself in awe as the woman turned her over to a full length mirror,”You lot are wonderful at this! What’s your name love?” 

The woman blinked back in surprise but bowed slightly,”Indy, ma’am. Is there anything you’d like to change or add?” 

“I couldn’t be happier! I should ask Ame to give everyone a big tip again, that felt really nice to do that” 

“These new breeches fit you rather well...would you like to keep your old ones?”

Lena spun around as the woman held up her old brown breeches at arms length with a forced polite smile. Patches in random places along the legs or sad attempts at fixing it herself and stains from who knows what. They were meant for a man much larger than herself, she honestly couldn’t recall who or when she stole them but the large pockets were useful in stealing things and walking off undetected. 

“Kindly toss them into the fire where they belongs, in fact, I’ll buy another pair of these if you have any. Good to have spares, my job is dangerous you know. Might be torn up real soon!”

Indy let out a sigh of relief and promptly tossed the old thing as far as physically possible. 

“You are hunters right?” 

Lena was so busy trying to decide if she looked better with the collar of her shirt left up or down proper she nearly missed the quiet voice behind her. Looking up at her reflection in the mirror she spotted Indy with her fingers intertwined and fumbling nervously. 

“Are you...going to stop this?” 

Her voice was so quiet and vulnerable it ignited something in Lena’s stomach. For so long she had only watched out for herself, not that she was selfish but had no ability to defend anyone else. Not as a homeless thief trying to survive each day, but now?

“I’ve only heard what your Lord has told me but...you’re the ones down here living it. What’s going on?”

“We have not seen the sun, even the slightest hint of it in weeks. When it is truly dark… I don’t know there is something in the air that feels… unsettling. My family, buried in the graveyard has gone missing, and other families as well.” Indy sighed, running a frustrated hand through her hair as she forced out a sad laugh,“I feel like I should have left with everyone else but -” 

“Don’t you worry miss,” Lena spun around on her heel, flashing a soothing smile, “When everyone else comes back they’ll look like fools for leavin’ and you so brave for staying.” 

She honestly had no idea what they were about to walk into, what the witch was planning let alone some psychotic doctor with a talent for doll making, but in this moment as this young woman’s shoulders sagged in relief to hear those words, Lena felt like she could handle whatever came their way.

“Hey love whatcha think?!” 

Amélie had just purchased a beautiful fan advertised to have come from the east, after careful inspection of the wood, the bright red silk and golden embroidery she paid the woman and gently fanned herself a few times before folding it up and pocketing it. 

Before her stood a clean and properly dressed Lena, honestly she nearly couldn’t recognize her. Her eyes were bright with excitement and beaming with confidence at the minor makeover, put a crossbow in her grasp and the girl actually looked like a huntress herself. 

“Now this is more like it” she smiled, quite impressed as she took long strides over to inspect the new look. 

The red waistcoat was a nice homage to her own look, it showed off her slim form, but the rest was still Lena’s style. Shirt sleeves rolled up with black fingerless glove and thick black bracers around her forearm. A new belt looped into breeches that actually fit and thin leather shoes that would prove be useful in her climbing. 

“But how do you feel?”

 

Lena grinned, “Ready to hunt a witch.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you also to Tanner, Indy, Fabian, Specs, and Molly. Your support is very much appreciated.


	22. A Meeting of Hunters

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> They can't do this alone.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you to Rhitta and elrojocapucha for making this chapter possible!

New clothes and a much needed bath later, Lena felt like a new person and now with the sun setting behind the city the two began their walk towards the castle. They turned the corner and Lena’s eyes widened as her steps slowed to a stop, and she had to crane her neck look up at this towering building. Easily the largest most imposing thing she had ever seen seemed to have brought her to reality of the events about to occur. 

 

They had been called by the most powerful man in the land, and he needed  _ their  _ help. 

 

_ Ba-bump Ba-bump. _

 

“Ame…” she started quietly,”We’ve been busy all day so I haven’t had a chance to tell you but-”

Amelie froze and turned on her heel at the small voice behind her. 

Lena stood there, eyes wide but lost as she stared at the ground with a hand to her chest that slowly faded in and out of transparency. 

“It’s...difficult to explain but I can feel it somewhere… it’s faint, but nearby.” 

Which meant  _ she _ was close as well. 

Amelie took two long strides to stand in front of Lena, now able to see the subtle shake of her shoulders. 

“May I?” 

Lena’s eyes snapped up in surprise at the sudden closeness she failed to notice as Amelie held her own hand up, quietly gesturing to her chest. 

Nodding sheepishly, Lena reached out and gently grasped the gloved hand and pressed it to her chest. 

Amelie’s eyes narrowed at the contact, focusing but to no avail, there was nothing. She knew that already, their nights spent together in each other’s arms she wouldn’t hear a thing. But there was a small part of her hoping she could feel something, now being closer than ever before to her heart but it was eerily quiet within her chest. 

With a heavy sigh Amelie reached out with both hands and gently cupped Lena’s face to meet her worried gaze.

“Lena, when we go in there we tell them everything that we know, she is not to be taken lightly. We both know that better than most and so we cannot do this alone. But you?” she paused, offering a small smile as her thumbs brushed across her cheeks,“You are vital to this, only you can find her and bring this all to an end.” 

Lena gulped, forcing a smile but failed to hide her anxiety,“No pressure huh?” 

Amelie smiled, dropping her hands to gently grasp Lena’s. Finding both to be solid she placed a kissed against her knuckles,”Let’s go hunt us a witch cherie.”  

With a deep breath, Lena nodded up at The Huntress, nervous and anxious but also confident at the same time. The two took a step towards the castle until Amelie once again froze on the spot. 

Before Lena could ask, the sound of boots against cobblestone followed by the jingle of spurs caught her ear.  

“Well well, look who was invited to the party!”

Lena didn’t miss the way Amelie’s eye twitched in annoyance. 

They turned around and spotted a man with a thick cigar between his lips and a wide grin on his face. A long black coat trailed behind him with a heavy leather pauldron around his shoulder, Lena almost felt nervous for her vampire companion as he had nearly a dozen wooden stakes strapped to his chest and belt, plus the large crossbow on his back and a highly decorated revolver at his side. He took the leather hat from his head and bowed his head politely at the two women as he approached. Lena didn’t need to ask who he was, he was just as she imagined him, a professional vampire hunter. 

“McCree. Of course you were also called” Amelie shook her head, less than amused,”Dare I ask how much you ask for this time?”

He laughed, placing his hat back onto his head and plucking the cigar from his mouth, “Honestly? Not enough, this place gives me the creeps” his face twisted in distaste as he glanced around, like a terrible scent had caught his attention,”Something about it, in the air you know? I don’t like it.”

Amelie nodded, the sun had only just set yet it seemed so dark already, as if the darkness couldn’t wait a moment longer,“Agreed.” 

He shrugged, taking a short drag of his cigar and blowing smoke off to the side he gestured towards the smaller woman standing beside her.

“Well I’ll be damned, you bring lunch with you? I’m proud of you Lacroix, I might actually get to hunt you someday.” 

Before Amelie could reply Lena scoffed,“Sorry mate, it’s the other way around” she grinned, raising her eyebrow playfully at the surprised look on his face.

“This is my partner Lena, she hunts with me.” Amelie introduced with a prideful look in her eyes. 

McCree stared at Amelie for a long moment, as if trying to read her face as he was unable to see if she was serious or not. But after a quick once over, Lena had her own wooden stake strapped to her side as well as a quiver and crossbow of her own in her possession. 

“Is that right…” he mumbled quietly with interest, his eyes narrowing up at the Huntress who glared back, a moment passed before he laughed,” If you don’t mind I would just love to have a full discussion on that later, we have quite a bit of catching up to do and I must say, I am  _ very _ curious about this story, must be a good one,” he smiled, dragging a finger across his left eye,”But shall we?”

McCree gestured towards the main gate of the castle and waited for the two women two move along ahead of him before following. 

Lena never realized how obvious they stood out until they reached the main gate, perhaps it was all the black and leather? Maybe the weapons of choice but her excitement and awe returned in full force as the three just walked right into castle. She bit her lip but kept a confident face, keeping stride with Amelie on one side and McCree on the other as soldiers didn’t bother asking who they were but snapped at attention and opened the large double wooden doors for them.

Immediately within a man with stark white hair, a scarred face and experience in his eyes stood by and waited to greet them. 

“Right on time.” he started, his voice hoarse and rough,”I’m Captain Morrison, if you’ll follow me.” 

Lena gulped.

Glancing around she couldn’t help but feel so small. Massive stone bricks lined the interior, a tall ceiling with metal chandeliers lit their path and guards and servants wandering the halls slowed to a halt to stare at them as they walked by. Following a long red carpet through another set of double doors, Lena’s breath caught in her chest as she spotted a large throne currently empty. 

“Hanzo!” McCree called out with restrained excitement, shattering the silence like a brick crashing through glass.

A man stood by in the shadows, so well hidden that Lena honestly wouldn’t have seen him at all had he not visibly flinched at the voice that called to him.

“Not you again,” he groaned after muttering something in an unknown language, shaking his head in annoyance as he pushed himself off the wall to join them. 

Lena’s eyes were immediately drawn to the large bow slung over his back, his quiver nearly bursting with arrows. Leather bound arms and shins in a style she had never seen before, he gently scratched at his salt and pepper beard as his eyes scanned over the newcomers.  

“Shimada?” Amelie asked, grabbing his attention,”I’ve heard quite a bit about you, they say your aim is impeccable.” 

Hanzo nodded politely with a short bow,“I’ve heard the same about you, I’m curious to see how true these stories are.”

Lena bit her lip, this time to stifle a laugh as she caught sight of a glimmer in Amelie’s eyes, a challenger had appeared and he has just enough deniability in his voice for her to feel threatened. 

“I can assure you, they are very true,” she smiled, not enough to expose her fangs but she might as well have.

“Sorry Lacroix you’re good but my money is on the foreigner.” McCree grinned, tipping his hat to the bowman.

Hanzo scoffed, rolling his eyes,“You’re one to talk.”

Before he could open his mouth to protest, McCree paused, looking around the empty room curiously he pulled his hat back to scratch the top of his head,“Now hey wait a minute...where is Mei? Feel like she would be here for somethin’ like this?” 

Hanzo crossed his arms over his chest as he shrugged,“She is on the verge of finding her prey, she will not leave until the job is done.” 

Lena watched in awe as the three hunters visibly appeared to be disappointed.

McCree sighed,“Damn, best in the business isn’t here? Was hoping to talk.” 

Now she couldn’t help but ask, Lena leaned over just enough to whisper,“Who is Mei?” 

“The best tracker, mountain climber, and monster exterminator there is. The only one I truly fear…” Amelie paused for a moment as a sly smile graced her features,”...and she’s not even a vampire hunter.” 

McCree’s head snapped back at the two, shooting the Huntress a glare as she grinned,“Hey now you-”

“Enough with the pleasantries! This isn’t a game!”

The group slowly turned back towards the throne where a short man waddled down the stairs hidden in the far left of the dark chamber, a missing eye and wooden arm he grumbled as he stomped towards them. Looking over each of them with an intense stare, sizing them up.

“Bet you lot are having a grand old time at this reunion but we have bigger things at stake here.” 

Lena couldn’t help but glance from the corner of her eye, watching and waiting for her fellow hunters for the appropriate response. Perhaps this was someone else she should know or fear but luckily they were just as shocked to see this man as she was. 

“What’s an old sea dog like you doin out here, ocean’s that way pops,” McCree laughed, making a small “shoo” motion as if an annoying child had crossed his path.

With a speed no one could have expected from a man of his stature, the Viking reached out and grabbed a fist full of McCree’s long coat, yanking him forward, forcing him to bend down to his eye level. 

“I’ve fought things that take shits bigger than you, watch your mouth.” the man hissed, ripping the cigar from the stunning vampire hunter’s mouth and stomping on it. 

“Torbjorn that’s enough.”

Despite the exhaustion in his voice, the booming tone of authority earned everyone’s full attention as Lord Adlersbrunn descended the stairs. 

The large man made a quiet gesture for his guests to come closer as he settled into his seat. Torbjorn snorted as he turned on his heel to stand at the left side of the throne as Captain Morrison stood on his right. McCree cleared his throat and adjusted his coat before stepping forward with the rest of the hunters.

“Working together is crucial to our success, bite your tongue. All of you. Darkness lurks over this place and I would personally like to see the sunrise once more.”

Lena thought for sure she would buckled under the intense pressure of all this, the room was heavy and the Lord looked at them fighting desperation and frustration. Yet as she stood with three well seasoned hunters, as he looked upon each of them with the same look she couldn’t help but feel empowered. Accepted as just another hunter. 

“I have told you all what I know, our doctor is gone. Our graveyard’s stripped of our dead. What do you know?” 

“Found a few creatures bout thirty miles south from here” McCree began, his thumbs jammed into his belt,”A boar head stitched to the body of a woman.”

Lena did her best to not seem surprised or horrified that there was another.

“McCree and I met running into another such monstrosity. A man with the arms of a wild cat and legs of a doe.” Hanzo added.

Lena gulped, there were apparently more of those nightmares wandering in the dark. 

“We found an ox stitched to a man’s body,” Amelie paused to address the others,“Were they as unstable as ours?”

“Cries of pain and unquenchable thirst for violence?” Hanzo asked with a grim expression.

Lena nodded.

“Purple ooze? Some ah…  _ unnecessary _ parts on the inside?” McCree stroked his goatee, again Lena nodded.

Amelie sighed and shook her head,“Practice for whatever he is planning.” 

By now the Lord had leaned forward in his seat absorbing every word, his hands clasped in front of him as he placed his mouth against them. 

“Huntress,” he began, dropping his hand back into his lap as he turned to her,”You spoke of more information in your letter.” 

She nodded, taking a step forward,“The Witch of the Wilds is working with your mad doctor.”

McCree let out a quiet groan,“Oh...good…knew I shoulda asked for more coin.”

“A witch that specializes in necromancy working with a doctor that likes to experiment on the dead. Sounds logical.” Hanzo’s shoulders tensed. It was clear that he didn’t appreciate the change in the situation any more than McCree did.

“She has in her possession a item of great power, I believe she plans on using it with your doctor. He is making something, I do not know what but with this item it could be deadly.”

Lord Adlersbrunn leaned back in his seat, his eyes narrowed dangerously at her. Not that he didn’t believe her, he just didn’t want to. 

“How have you come to know all this?”

“I had a nice chat with the dragon guarding it.” she said nonchalantly turning her head to the side, showing off the three long jaggedly lines across her left eye.

The dark room was nearly illuminated by McCree’s look of utter excitement. 

“Is that what that is?! Oh I cannot wait to hear this one” 

“Dragons are gone,” Captain Morrison stated flatly, instantly deflating McCree’s joy. But as he turned to confirm this with the legendary dragon hunter himself, he realized Torbjorn was looking away.   
  
“Aren’t they?”

Torbjorn coughed,“No not quite…”

All eyes fell upon the Viking as he marched back to the group of hunters, making a gesture to her claim. Amelie humored him and knelt down, her long cloak gathering around her feet as she turned her head and allowed him to inspect her scars. 

Almost immediately he hummed in recognition,“Red claws.” he said quietly,”Burned didn’t it?” 

“Very much so.”

His serious demeanor shifted so quickly Amelie had no time to reply appropriately as he laughed, slapping her on the shoulder like a comrade in battle,“You’re lucky to be alive, Satya isn’t known for her patience.” 

Amelie could only blink in confusion as the man turned away and returning to the Lord’s side. 

To which both men stared at the Viking in surprise.

“I thought you…”

“She hasn’t burned down any villages yet,” he shrugged,”I’ve no reason to hunt her.”

Amelie shot a quick glance at Lena with a soft knowing smile as she stood back up, assuming there was no red dragon in search of any perfect gold coin that streak may end. 

“Very well...and this item of great power?”

Lena nearly jumped out of her own skin as Amelie gently nudged her with her elbow. 

“Uh...me?” she squeaked, stiffening up as all eyes were on her now,“I mean uh it’s my heart..the Witch has my heart.” 

Lena gulped, mentally berating herself for her nervousness she held her hands behind her back clutched her wrist in a tight grip as her fingers began to go numb. 

McCree leaned over to stare at the girl for a moment,“Figuratively or…?”

“No I mean, I do not have one? Well no I mean I had one but It’s not in my chest anymore, I saw her pull it out of me.” 

Despite the wild characters in this room they all looked at her like she were the strange one. 

The Lord of the castle tilted his head curiously at the girl,“Morrison could you?”

Without another word the Captain took long strides over to Lena, she froze and forced out a nervous smile as he towered over her with an intense gaze. 

Slipping off his thick leather gloves, he held two fingers together and gently pressed them against her neck, seeking her pulse. 

Lena remained utterly still, unsure of where to look or do as he blinked back in surprise, nothing beat against his touch.. He pressed his fingers in, just slightly adding pressure beneath her jaw forcing her to look up awkwardly, but still found nothing. Confused and possibly a little horrified, he pressed against her neck in different areas but to no avail.

He took a step back and stared down at her for a moment, she still had color in her face, she still breathed air and her eyes were bright. Still standing yet there was no heartbeat. 

“How are you alive?” he finally asked, so quiet in his shock that she almost didn’t hear him. 

“That’s a great question that I have no answer to.” 

Morrison turned back to his Lord, eyes wide and gave him a faint nod, she was telling the truth. 

“I can feel it if I’m close to it, the beat of my heart. I can lead you to where ever she is keeping it.” 

At this, the Lord sat up, at the edge of his seat.

“If she had a red dragon guarding it, it must be of immense value. She wouldn’t leave it unsupervised.” Torbjorn added, stroking his long beard in thought. 

McCree’s face split into an excited smile,“Find your heart, find the witch and maybe the good doctor?”

The intensity of the air changed, no longer with uncertainty and dread but with an excitement she could recall just before a hunt. 

“Yes, I feel like she hasn’t used it yet but getting ready to do something with it.”

“Very well then.” Hanzo offered her a small smile as he cracked his knuckles,”We should search at first light.”

“Why not now?” Morrison asked, looking at each of them with urgency,”We have our plan, we can leave immediately.”

But McCree shook his head, waving a finger at him,“Things that bump in the night are doing just that at night. If we know where to go and hunt during the day while the enemy sleeps we have the upper hand. Seems like your doctor friend likes the cover of darkness and the witch is the most powerful under the moonlight”

The Lord of Adlersbrunn leaned back in his seat, his shoulders sagged as he let out a long sigh of relief. His tight expression relaxed, not completely free from uncertainty but feeling considerably more prepared than he was minutes ago.

“Very well then, return here at sunrise. Morrison, I want you to accompany them. Torbjorn, you and your daughter will remain here on guard.”

His two hands nodded, bowing slightly as the large man stood up. Lena, much like she had to for his castle, had to crane her neck up just to look him in the eye as he approached, towering over them.  

“I will provide you with any support you need, you all have my gratitude for taking on this task for me and my people. As for your rewards-” he started from one end of the line to the other, addressing each hunter directly.

“The gold will be prepared, the amount we agreed upon. No more”.

McCree shrugged,“Worth a shot.”

Then to Hanzo.

“You will be granted my eyes and ears, I will make no guarantees but I will send you aid in your personal hunt.”

“Thank you.”

As he turned, craning his own neck to look down at Lena, she couldn’t help but feel a little silly as he looked upon her with smile, fighting a chuckle. 

“We can discuss where you would like to live, but I can offer you acres of land and as many chickens as you wish.”

Somewhere within the chamber a few short snorts and chuckles made Lena blushed, now in a room with other hunters who requested such outlandish rewards, perhaps he was right to think her silly. Regardless she bowed and flashed a bright smile,“I can’t wait!”

As he turned to Amelie his expression fell grim,“As for you-”

“The Witch is mine, any objections?” 

She shot a quick glance at the two men who immediately shook their heads. 

“Oh no, by all means she is yours,” McCree drawled with a sardonic grin on his face, his hands up in his defense. 

“Excellent, then I believe our business is done here.” 

“See you at sunrise Cap’n!” McCree smiled, tipping his hat before turning on his heel.

Lena watched him walk off with his long coat billowing out behind him as he walked off cooly with the bowman at his side, begrudgingly wishing to be as smooth as them some day.

“Ah...Madam Lacroix p uis-je vous parler un moment?” 

Lena’s french was very limited to a few words, however Amelie was brought to an immediate stand still, staring up at the man who seemed to be nervous in her presence. 

“Wait out here Lena.”

Lena nodded, curiously watching Amelie walk beside him and his two companions into another set of double doors. Luckily she had little time to feel awkward standing alone in the throne room as a voice curiously called out to her from behind.

“...is it true you don’t have a heart?” 

 

* * *

 

“Your french needs a bit of work my Lord.” 

Reinhardt laughed sheepishly, walking ahead just enough to open the door for her. 

“Ah yes well, it was worth a try.”

She had been in here before, a deceivingly large room with an even bigger desk covered in paperwork. A personal office lined in bookshelves that were taller than they were wide containing important documents crucial to the survival of his reign. He excused Morrison and Torbjorn who gently shut the door behind them, giving the two privacy as he took a seat behind his desk. 

“I wanted to formally apologize, we did not meet on the best of terms last time,” he sighed, offering a small smile,”I am sorry for my rude behavior, you’ve done me and my family a great service.” 

The day they had first met Amelie could barely get a word out as a boisterous young man was very eager to be rid of her. He could barely look her in the eye without feeling threatened and practically shoved the quill in her grasp to sign the contract and shooed her away when she was done. 

Just as she suspected, she could hardly recognize the man now.

“I heard what happened, I am sorry.”

“It should not have cost the lives of my family for me to change, but thank you,” he nodded, leaning down to reaching within his desk he pulled up a large leather bound book. 

A family crest stamped into the front she had not seen in a while. 

“If it’s alright with you, I would like to continue our contract, the Guillard-Adlersbrunn deal.” 

 

* * *

 

“Oh wow...how big was it?!”

Lena was quick to make friends with the curious young woman who had been quietly listening in on their meeting. The red head sat on the stone steps and listened in awe and wonder as Lena retold her tale of the “minotaur”. 

“Twice the size of me easy! It was stitched up and-”

“Lena don’t scare the squire please.” 

Finished with her business Amelie returned alone, too caught up in Lena’s story neither of them realized she was even there. 

Brigitte shook her head as she stood up,“Oh no, please I’d like to know what we are dealing with. Thank you so much miss Lena,” she grinned, eagerly grasping Lena’s hand in a firm handshake.

“Of course, see you around Brigitte!”

With that the squire hurried away to return to her duties as Lena waved her off, waiting until she was out of sight to quietly hiss in pain.

“What a grip on that one...anyway the others went to the tavern where we are staying, they wanna chat. Also I wouldn’t mind a good ale before a witch hunt”

Amelie smiled down at her partner, a sense of pride welling in her chest, she held her own during the meeting and the others seemed more than willing to welcome her into the fold.

“Then we shouldn’t keep them waiting.”

 


	23. Deal with the Devil

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ana finally caught up, unfortunately.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This one is short but a MUCH longer one is on the way hang in there guys! Thank you for your patience!

He was close.

 

Too close.

She was too careless, too proud, she thought it would only be a matter of time before he gave up and begged for her help but she saw it herself. The creature moved. 

Not a quick jerk, or involuntary twitch - as nature in its rawest form struck the top of his laboratory and sent electricity violently coursing through its body,it was a slow calculated movement, like a being who had slumbered for too long and struggled to wake it reached out for its master.  

But all too soon it slumped back into it’s unconsciousness but that did nothing to stop the mad doctor from jumping for joy and laughing hysterically. 

Soon Doctor Jamison Junkenstein would create life with science, a feat not even the Witch of the Wilds could do. 

It unnerved her to no end. 

She needed more time. She needed him desperate, cornered and pressured with no other way but agree to a deal. Only then could she have the control she needed. Once the creature stood tall she would have no need of the doctor but until then she kept her smile and offered kind words of encouragement. He had no idea she was the reason for sudden equipment malfunction, she had spent several days quietly disconnecting tubes and machines when his back was turned or when he thought himself to be alone. But it wasn’t enough. 

He stopped sleeping, riding on the thrill of being so close to his goal that he couldn’t stop working. He would not, until his creation walked among the living. 

“Perhaps it was foolish of me to move the lab so soon.” 

The suit of armor said nothing. 

“Please! Have mercy!” 

The Witch shrugged, picking at the bits of dirt beneath her nail. 

“I thought for sure that would have scared him into asking for help…” she sighed,”But no, I took the form of an old hag for nothing! How rude, even Morrison was ungrateful for my valuable information.”

The man let out a horrific cry of pain as the knight in armor stained in blood held him by the ankle, tightening her grip until bones snapped in her grasp.

“Oh great and powerful Witch thank you for your ripping open a portal in this plane to teleport an entire laboratory away so the Lord’s guards don’t find me!” she grumbled, her voice up in pitch to imitate a very sarcastic version of the mad doctor,”Now I’ll just go back to my business and create life without you!’ Ugh, how rude.” 

The Witch let out a long groan, rolling her eyes in her frustration as the man continued to scream, clawing at the ground until his nails bled but it did nothing to stop the knight from dragging him towards the cart. 

Again her loyal servant remained quiet as she turned around and unsheathed her blade. 

Finally the man was silenced as the large longsword was plunged into his chest, striking the ground beneath him. She patiently waited for him to choke on his own blood and watching life leave his eyes before pulling the blade out. 

The Witch sighed, slipping her gloves back on as the once simple farmer was now another body stacked upon the cart. It’s wooden wheel’s creaked with the added weight, bed now stained red as a pile of lifeless corpses in a tangle of limbs lay unmoving, the village was now rendered utterly silent. 

“At least someone is having fun hm?”

The knight stood tall, turning the bloody blade around to stab the ground in front of her, hands resting on the pommel awaiting a new order. 

Within the hour of arriving with an empty cart an entire village of people were slaughtered. 

The doctor had agreed to pick Adlersbrunn’s graves for her but she was going to need more bodies for what she was planning. 

“Shall we head home darling?” she asked so sweetly, sitting pretty upon her broom that defied gravity, floating several feet from the ground.

But before she could take her prizes a single twig snapped behind them.

The Witch flicked her wrist, commanding her servant to her just in time as there was  a crack of thunder and a bullet struck the Knight’s helmet, causing a spark of light as it forced her head to the side from the impact.

“Let her go.”

Peeking out from behind her knight, the Witch tilted her head curiously as a figure in brown robes and a smoking rifle carefully stepped out from the shadows. 

She couldn’t help the wide grin on her face as she recognized those piercing eyes; well, one of them at least. 

“Oh my, look who it is. I was wondering when you were going to catch up. Old bones not what they used to be hm?” the witch smiled, draping her arms over the knight’s shoulders she playfully waved at the old woman.

Ana’s face curled into a snarl, pointing her rifle directly at that smug face but instantly fell as the witch dragged her fingers along the helm of the knight before pulling the face shield up.

For the first time in years, Ana saw the face of her daughter. Pale, and glowing purple eyes, cracked at the edges like a broken doll stared back at her unblinking. 

“Fareeha…” Ana’s voice quivered as she gently called out, unable to stop herself. 

The Witch watched on with pity, the body was still warm when she took it from the battlefield that day. She paid no mind to the woman who screamed and cried, struggling to crawl over to stop the ritual. 

Ana could only watch in horror and helplessness, blood pouring out of what was left of her right eye as the once brave and most decorated knight under Lord Adlersbrunn, stood up like a doll and walked away from the war with the Witch. 

“Oh Ana…” the Witch shook her head, her voice laced in poison as she smiled,“Fareeha isn’t here anymore,” she chuckled, sitting back to gently lift the helm from her servants head. Her black hair framed her face, golden beaded still strung between her strands Ana had braided that day.

“She’s mine now.” 

With a single snap of her fingers, the knight raised her blade and ran forward.

The Witch watched on in mild amusement, despite her age Ana was surprisingly nimble. Rolling out of the way as the sword slammed into the ground where she was but just as expected, Ana lifted her rifle and hesitated, unable to see past the puppet from the face of her daughter.

The Witch only shook her head as the knight took advantage of her hesitation brought the blade back, slicing the woman across the chest with such a force she was thrown back. 

The gun was dropped from her grasp as Ana clutched her chest, desperately holding onto herself as red spilled across her cloak. 

“Oh Ana, to carry the heartache of a mother.... I wouldn’t dare wish that upon my greatest enemy.” The Witch grinned, smiling as her knight stepped forward, towering over the woman before reaching down and grabbing Ana by the throat.

She gasped, clutching the knight’s arm and kicking wildly as the suit of armor stood up, holding her up with ease a foot off the ground. 

“You must have been searching for us for awhile now, only for it to end here and like this?” 

The Witch shrugged,”How sad.”

The knight reeled back and threw Ana aside like a sack of flour, across the dirt road and tumbling to a pathetic stop Ana gasped and wheezed for air. 

With heavy footfalls approaching, Ana struggled to move away but a metal boot to the side forced her flat on her back to look up at a blade at her throat. 

The Witch hovered over her Knight, her chin placed on her hand as she loomed over Ana with a grin,“Any clever last words?”

Ana spat blood upon the Knight’s boots,“My Fareeha would have finished the job by now.”

“You have no respect for theatrics,” the Witch shrugged.

“Then kill me here and now or I will never stop hunting you.”

At this, the Witch scoffed,“Get in line.”

She raised her hand towards the sky, like a puppet the knight followed suit, lifting the blade high above her head. 

Ana remained still, her eye glaring and unblinking at the Witch. 

How many times had she heard something like that? By hunters who had fallen or swore it like a goal in life. 

And how many more to come?

The Witch paused for a moment, a thought crossing her features she slowly brought her raised hand down. 

“Actually...my dear Ana you may have given me an idea.”

Hopping off her broom she gently waved her hand, shooing her servant away as she stood before the shocked woman. 

“I’ve heard some hunters have gone to Adlersbrunn for a meeting.” 

The Witch knelt before Ana who instinctively flinched away as she raised a glowing hand towards her, but before she could question it bright yellow light seemed to be falling from her palm and into Ana’s gaping wound across her chest.

“Go to them, tell them what you’ve seen here. It’s not too far I’m confident you’ll make it just fine like this.” she says, but retracted her hand just before completely healing her, the wound no longer fatal but still bleeding and painful as the Witch patted her on the chest in a sickening reassuring way,”Tell them I’m coming.” 

Ana hissed at the contact and smacked her hand away as she forced herself to sit up and back away. 

“I’m sure your husband is just dying to see you again. I bet he just can’t wait to hear about what happened to his precious girl.”

Ana’s eye twitched, she was diverting, distracting, and it was working for a moment. 

“There is always a catch to your deals” Ana hissed, searching for lies and the twist of words the Witch was known for but she only laughed as she stood up. 

“Oh yes of course, but it will be much easier for me to kill you all in one fell swoop. Quite a tale it will make too I’m sure.”

Ana could only sit by and watch as the Witch hopped upon her broom and floated away as the Knight quietly followed close by, sheathing her blade and placing the helm back upon her head.

“Now run along Ana,” the Witch called out with a slight song in her voice as she waved playfully at the woman,”I’ll be seeing you again soon enough.”

And just like that she was gone, fading away from view like trees in the morning mist Ana was left alone in the middle of the ghost town of a village in all of it’s deathly silence. 

Pulling herself up and clutching her chest Ana pressed on with Adlersbrunn in sight and the fight yet to come.  

 


	24. The Cracked Cauldron

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Amelie was never one to share a drink with comrades, neither was Lena. But they never had a drink with McCree and Hanzo before.

The two returned to the Cracked Cauldron but made a quick stop to their room to dress down. Amelie meticulously removed her cloak and jacket while Lena removed her bracers and weapons from her hips. Lena slipped off her crimson vest but held it out awkwardly in front of her, it was too nice to just throw in her bag like the rest of her things so she took from Amelie’s habits and draped it over a nearby stool.

The Huntress let out a long sigh, tugging the ribbon holding her hair up in its high ponytail and let it drape over her shoulder to tie a neat bow there. Tugging her black tie free from her neck and popping the top button from her crisp white blouse, she was ready to drink McCree under the table.

“Love, you can’t just keep doing that.” Lena sighed, exasperated as she watched the transformation of Huntress to Amelie.

“And what is that?” Amelie asked over her shoulder, carefully folding her tie. She paused as a warm body pressed against her back, arms wrapped around her waist and Lena nuzzled her face against her back.

“Being all pretty and the like! How am I supposed to keep my hands away, hm?”

Amelie shook her head, gently patting Lena’s hand reassuringly after placing her neatly folded tie on the table.

“Don’t worry, we won’t be long. Just a bit of socializing before we come back and make good on your word.”

“My word?”

Lena remained still, staring up at the tall woman curiously as she turned around in her arms. Cool hands slipped up between them, not so subtly brushing along Lena’s collarbone to cup her face, keeping her gaze as Amelie smiled, her fangs just barely poking out beneath her lip in a coy grin.

“If I recall correctly, you redirected Jesse’s words to imply _I_ was lunch and we wouldn’t want to make you out to be a liar now do we?”

Lena’s face flashed bright red in color, as she recalled their current score being Lena on the receiving end thus far. If they were to be entering a possibly suicidal mission at first light it would be foolish to not switch things up a bit just in case.

But instead of waiting for a reply out of her flustered face, Amelie leaned in and placed a quick playful kiss atop her forward and gently patted her face, “Come along, let’s see what he wants.”

It was easy enough to find McCree; The moment they reached the bottom of the steps and entered the main tavern, their sight was obfuscated by a crowd had gathered around a particular table.

It was definitely one of the more busier taverns Lena had been in, a fiddle and drummer played to their heart’s content on the far stage while people raised their voices to speak over the music, nearly shouting as various maids and servers carefully wove their way  between people with drink and plates of food.

Despite the noise level and packed room, it was easy to spot the black leather cowboy hat and the gentle waft of cigar smoke drifting into the air at the far corner of the tavern.

Amelie rolled her eyes at the bustling of people, shooting glares at anyone who crossed her path and stared at her gruesome scar longer than deemed polite.

Luckily Lena was quick to sense the irritation emanating from Amelie’s body and cleared her throat.

“Alright you bloody bastards move along!” she called out, moving ahead and pushing aside a random drunk out of her way to clear a path, he spun around to protest but was brought to an immediate stand still as Amelie walked by, her golden eyes staring him down and instantly silencing him,”We got important huntin’ business! Move!”

It didn’t take long for a path to be cleared, Lena’s booming voice despite her size caught the attention of anyone in their way, people awkwardly stumbling over each other or brought to an immediate halt to avoid crossing their path or eye contact as Amelie continued to glare her way through, they reached McCree’s table in no time.

He was in the middle of retelling a wild story of his latest hunt, the slightest tint of pink across his cheeks and an excited smile on his face, he pointed with his finger and thumb towards the air like a pistol and made a loud “BOOM!” imitating an explosion, the crowd around him gasped and listened intently.   
  
But his story was brought to a stand still as he caught sight of a tall imposing figure and a loud voice demanding his audience to part the waters.

Slipping his hat from his head and putting it aside, he watched on with a wide grin as people stepped away, giving just enough room for Lena to pull out a chair for the Huntress.

McCree laughed, pulling his feet off the table and plucking the cigar from his lips he waved the patrons away,  “Well you heard her, move along, we have business.” he called out, gently tapping the end of his cigar on the ashtray as the people begrudgingly left with a cliffhanger to his tale.

He also took to a more relaxed appearance tonight, his heavy coat and armored bits stowed away in his room, leaving him in his dirty brown slacks and black waistcoat, a thick red bandana wrapped around his neck but his belt with an intricate pistol and a single stake rest at his side just in case. Reaching down into his satchel slung on his chair he pulled out a glass bottle of light brown liquid and popped the cork.

“Amelie, good to see you,” he started as he filled an empty glass that sat waiting beside the ashtray. When deemed full enough, he pushed it across the table into her awaiting grasp.  

“Jesse, to what do I owe the pleasure tonight?”

“I’ll just cut to the chase here. Would you mind if I took a look at your…” he paused a moment, fighting a small smile,”Your partner here?”

Lena blinked back in surprise, standing beside Amelie as she quietly sipped the whiskey so strong Lena could smell it, she nervously glanced between McCree who stared intently at her and Amelie who seemed disinterested.

“Uh? What?”

Amelie just shrugged, lounging in her seat with her long legs crossed, “We’ve nothing to hide, you may.”

“Wait, can I have a say in this?”

McCree stood up, stepping out towards her he pulled out another chair and gently coaxed her into it, “Just sit down and relax, it’ll only take a sec.”

Before she could ask, he bent down, his hands grasping his knees as he stared directly into Lena’s eyes and only a breath away.  

She gulped nervously, watching him as he seemed to scan her, searching for something.

“No haze...” he started, humming to himself he reached out and gently poked at her cheeks,”No spells in place and good coloration in the skin.”  

Grasping at her chin he pushed her to look upwards and away while tugging on the collar of her shirt to inspect her neck and shoulder.

“No bites but plenty of cuts…” he mumbled to himself, double checking the other side of her neck only to find the same.   
  
He paused a moment to shoot the Huntress a grin.

“You’re a tease Lacroix.”

“Shut up Jesse.” she hissed, hiding behind her drink as he laughed but continued his inspection.

“Last but not least” without warning his thumb lifted her upper lip exposing her short human canines,”No fangs...alright you check out.”

Lena quickly slapped his hand away from her mouth and wiped her lips with the back of her hand.

“What was that all about?!” she huffed, her eyes narrowed at him irritably as he returned to his seat.

“I just wanted to make sure you weren’t under any spell or a new vampire for me to be worried about. After she drinks from you do you feel dizzy? Kinda tired?”

She blinked at him once,“Uh...yeah?”

“Nuts are a good source of energy, drink lots of water before and after, red meat is also good for the blood. Take it easy on the alcohol friend, that will get you real sick if she takes a lot from you and you hit the bottle too soon.”

Lena stared at him for a long moment, taken aback by his sincere smile and vital information, he nodded and held his glass out to her before downing the rest of it. She slowly turned to her companion only to find Amelie just as pleasantly surprised.

“Oh, wow thanks mate.”

McCree let out a satisfied sigh, putting his glass down on the table to refill it, “To be honest you’re quite fortunate, vampires with human female companions have it easy. Gorge yourself once a month for a week and they’re mostly fine their entire lives...well I guess until the well dries out.”

Amelie choked on her drink, slamming the cup down she held her mouth in her hand as she coughed.

Lena on the other hand went rigid, sitting there unblinking as his words sunk in and her eyes slowly widened in realization,”I’m sorry what?”

McCree glanced up from his pour, confused by their silence at first he held his hand out to Lena, rotating it to replicate the symbol of a cycle,“You know, your blood moon? Woman time? The blood tide? The- ”

“I know what that is but you’re...you’re implying that-”

“It’s still blood, heard it’s actually good for you actually. Well for the vampire but you get the idea.”

The entire room could have been on fire at that very moment but the two of them couldn’t have been bothered as they sat there in silence over this information. This extremely important information that changed everything in Lena’s eyes.  

Unable to form actual words or thought at first, Lena couldn’t help the massive smile, unashamed, ever growing on her face until finally able to spit out,“ _Holy_ _shit._ ”

Amelie however hid her face behind her hand, her cheeks now darkening in a harsh blush, as his words sunk in.  

“What? It’s the safest way to satisfy a vampire with a human companion, it’s a completely normal womanly cycle and- ”

“Please stop talking” Amelie hissed, downing the rest of her drink in a single go she slid her empty glass across the table with enough force and speed to slam into McCree’s chest, just enough to knock the wind out of him and barely catch it.

“Hey now I’m just tryin to help!” he coughed, holding his hands up in his defense as she shot him a glare.

“Look, I won’t lie...I was a little worried about you for awhile there,” he sighed, pouring her another drink, “Starving vampires are the worst to hunt, they try so hard to not accept it. Which is admirable to say the least, lots of people get turned against their will. They don’t wanna hurt others and that’s understandable but no matter what, they always give in, one day they snap and it’s never a pretty sight.”

He slid the drink across the table with a softer smile.

“Would have hated to get that call, good to see that’s taken care of,” he said, directing his attention to Lena with a gentle nod.

However McCree sat up in his seat, leaning in with curiosity as he whispered harshly over the table,“But I gotta ask, any sign of your ability?”

At this Lena mirrored his excitement, leaning in at this new concept,”Wait what, what ability?”

Amelie looked away, taking a leisurely sip of her drink, “No, nothing yet nor do I plan on finding out. I’m quite happy with our current arrangement, which is the bare minimum.”

“Look I understand where you’re coming from but I feel like you’re throwing away a potential advantage against our enemy.”

“Wait! Wait what? What’s what!?”, Lena gripped the chair from between her legs and scooted herself forward, closer to the table to slam her elbows on top and hold her head as her eyes were now glued to McCree and his words.

“Lena…”

“Hang on now, she needs to know if she’s gonna be huntin’.”

Amelie let out a long sighed and took a drink, waving him off to continue.

“The more vampire’s feed the more powerful they can become. Since sweet Amelie here is from a powerful family lineage of vampire, I’d reckon she will be getting something real good real soon if she keeps up feeding from you.”

Lena’s eyes widened in surprise, glancing back to her partner but found her more interested in swirling her drink in the glass like fine wine.

“A good example would be her big brother. Ol’ Gabriel is a slippery bastard, he can move among shadows and the mist, might as well be a ghost honestly” he paused, redirecting his attention to Amelie with a raised eyebrow,”Speakin’ of which, you seen him lately? Askin’ for a friend.”

Amelie scoffed, flashing him a toothy grin,“Hm, no can’t say that I have.”

“Figured, worth a shot,” McCree shrugged, taking a quick swig as Lena remained silent in her thoughts.

Biting the inside of her lip she opened her mouth, quiet at first as she fought to find the right words but eventually asked,“Are red eyes normal?”

She mentally braced herself, either this was something completely normal that all vampires experience or this was worth something. Although to be fair she would have no idea as Amelie has been the only one she had ever met, judging by the looks she was receiving however it was former.

“When you get a little...feral your eyes turn red. Is that normal?”

McCree just shrugged it off,“It’s normal for the iris to be red, it’s a good sign of a healthy vampire feeding well-”

“No I mean...the whole thing?” Lena pointed to her own eye in a circular pattern to emphasize her point,”All of it is red and they kinda glow?”

At this, the two stared at her mouth agape.

“They do?” Amelie asked quietly, honestly surprised if not a little worried about this detail she could never have known with no reflection to see it herself.

Lena gulped,“So...that’s not normal then?”

McCree however appeared to be elated by this bit of information,“It sure as hell isn’t! Look at you Lacroix, I couldn’t be more proud!”

“Don’t get excited over nothing, I don’t know what that means or what it could possibly be. If we’re lucky we’ll get by without it.”

Before Lena could throw in her opinion a large tankard of ale was placed in front of her.

“You say this and yet you wish to take on the Witch on your own?”

Somehow able to slip by without behind detected by any of the hunters at the table, Hanzo stood behind Lena with a drink of his own in his grasp.

McCree lit up with excitement, pulling out another chair to his left out for him to join them.

“Hanzo! Was wonderin’ when you’d show up, surprised you’re not lookin’ like a sundried grape - you were at the bathhouse so long,” he laughed, flashing a teasing grin.

The archer rolled his eyes as he took his seat, ignoring McCree’s comment he raised his mug to Lena and nodded. Hanzo came to them without his armor or large bow strapped to his back, his hair free of the tight restraint and laid over his shoulder.

“Thank you for the suggestion miss Lena, I feel much better now.”

“My pleasure, I know what’s it’s been like being on the road a long while,” she smiled, raising her drink to him before taking a long swig.

“Hanzo, I am quite curious about the reward you seek from Lord Adlersbrunn.” Amelie asked, shifting in her seat to face him,“Why seek his eyes and ears?”

The Archer remained quiet at first, both hands grasping the side of his mug he quietly watched the foam atop his drink before answering,“I seek my brother, I have tracked him here to this country and I fear he may have found solace in darker forces. However I am relieved to find no evidence of his involvement in our current mission.”

“That’s good to hear at least, we have enough to worry about. Unrelated note, I’m a little disappointed you didn’t bring the good stuff.” McCree pouted, leaning over in his seat to confirm the lack of cask strapped to Hanzo’s belt.

“Sake is for when the job is done” Hanzo replied with a stern tone, taking a drink while shooting a glare from the corner of his eye.

McCree pouted but only for a moment,“Ah well, it’ll be worth it. That stuff is great”  

Amelie couldn’t help it, shaking her head and chuckling softly to herself,“Well aren’t you two quite the pair.”

“I’d like to think so!”

“I beg to differ.”

McCree’s face dropped slightly, almost offended, “Oh come on now you can’t deny what a team we made down south! That creepy bobcat lady didn’t stand a chance!”

If Lena could have possibly be more closer to the table she tried, ears ready for a tale,“Oh oh I wanna hear this story!”

“Oh it’s a good one but I’ll tell it only if I hear about this Dragon fight, only thing able to scar Amelie this good must have been quite a scuffle.”

“Deal!”

Amelie remained quiet most of the evening as the others chatted away swapping war stories, she chimed in every once and awhile to correct Lena’s outlandish exaggerations which brought forth a chuckle or two out of their company.It was a nice change of pace, a month ago she would have been in a place like this by herself quietly waiting for people to build up to courage to bring work to her.   
  
The young huntress listened closely at McCree and Hanzo’s tale of their own mutilated patchwork creature with Lena asking questions and eagerly showing her desire to learn as much as they were willing to share with her. They had yet to see her in action but for now they seemed to have accepted her as one of them and the very image of Amelie’s young pupil sharing a drink with other hunters brought a surprising swell of pride in her chest.

“An umbrella? With...teeth? And eyes?”

“One eye and a big mouth with a long tongue. Tsukumogami rather terrifying if you’re not too careful.”

Though Amelie was not one for social interaction being among hunters certainly helped, they cared not for her vampirism despite being regular prey in this dark country. She couldn’t necessarily call them friends but they were the closest thing she had to such a thing. Honestly this was the most she had ever heard McCree speak and the longest they had ever spent sharing a drink together.

“You know now that you mention it I’ve heard of a Red Dragon being spotted flying around lookin’ for something”

“She’s searching for that gold I bet but I still got it...do you think I should be worried?”

Hanzo hid behind his drink as he replied quietly,“Immensely.”

Eventually the crowd dwindled down, work was to be done in the morning and slowly the tavern began to empty.

Lena and McCree were in the middle of a quiet drinking content, mostly keeping their conversation going while eyeballing the other for how much they were drinking and how fast. The very instant Lena’s eyes began to droop Amelie reached out and placed a hand over the the mug before Lena could pick it up.

“You’re our only chance to finding the Witch, perhaps it’s time you stop and sleep.”

Lena pouted, narrowing her eyes at her opponent as he let out a loud burp,“Fine...but we’re picking this up next time cowboy.”

“You got it kid” he winked, with both eyes at different moments.

Lena stood up but possibly too fast, the chair behind her let out loud screech as it slid and she began to sway slightly but without a single word Amelie scooped the girl into her arms bridal style.

“Good evening gentlemen, until tomorrow.” Amelie said politely as Lena giggled happily.  

Hanzo, now with a pleasant buzz and warm cheeks, offered a smile,“Sleep well friends”

“Aw thanks Hanzo!” Lena called out as Amelie walked away, lifting her arm up to wave at him as they went. He did wave back with a soft chuckle much to Lena’s delight,”I like Hanzo! Can we keep him? McCree doesn’t deserve him!”

“Hey I heard that!”

Lena’s laughter was heard throughout the tavern until they disappeared around the corner, Lena wiped the corner of her eye with the back of her hand before settling into her arms and let out a satisfied sigh before nuzzling her face against the side of Amelie’s neck.

“You usually can hold your liquor much better cherie.”

“I know”, she grinned with near perfect clarity, reaching into Amelie’s pocket as their room was within reach and pulled out the room key,”I just wanted an excuse to leave sooner than later.”

Amelie smiled, standing before the door as Lena reached out and unlocked their room, gently pushing it open for them.  

“Also I wanna cuddle, on a bed, that’s not outside with nasty bugs.”

“I’m inclined to agree.”

Amelie took a few steps inside and gently placed Lena back on her feet before closing the door and locking it behind her.

Lena yawned, lifting her arms up in the air to stretch, her back popping in a few places, she turned back to the bedside table to place the room key aside. As per her usual pre sleeping ritual Lena began to empty out her pockets that would be uncomfortable to sleep in, she pulled out a few gold coins, a handkerchief that came with her new clothes and at last, a handful of almonds.

To which Lena blinked in confusion, staring at the nuts in her palm for a moment.

“What...the-”

Amelie also paused, catching sight of Lena staring at the offending nuts. She quickly put them on the table beside her coin and reached back into her deep pockets, pulling out another handful of peanuts and almonds.

Before Amelie could ask Lena’s face shifted in realization and began to laugh at herself,”Ha, forgot I stole these.”

Amelie’s eyes narrowed,”How...I was with you the entire time?”

Lena just grinned and wiggled the fingers of her other hand playfully,”Sticky fingers!” she giggled, popping a couple of peanuts apparently stolen from the front counter of the tavern bar into her mouth.

“Alright but why steal bar nuts?”

Lena slowly swallowed and sheepishly offered a smile,“McCree said it would help. You know if you wanted to...you know?”

A heavy pause sat between them for a moment as Lena hooked a finger from the collar of her shirt to expose her throat, wiggling her eyebrows suggestively.

Amelie however just rolled her eyes “We should go to bed.” she mumbled, avoiding eye contact as she walked away.

Lena’s face dropped, watching her leave for a moment before forcing out a nervous laugh.

“Wait a minute we are about to start the most intense hunt of the century and I’m offering free blood that apparently enhances your powers. Are you seriously going to still going to say no?”

Upon reaching the table where her things lay out before her, uncomplicated and in a perfect spread Amelie slipped her boots off and put them in their designated spot.

“You’re drunk, your judgement is impaired.”

“I am tipsy at best, I promise you I am aware and very willing. You know I’ve been asking without a drop of alcohol in me before.”

Amelie said nothing.

Unbuttoning her waistcoat in a hurry she ripped it off her body and proceeded to shake it out and fold it like usual but unable to focus on even this simple task she found herself starting over several times. Progressively becoming more annoyed with herself and the situation she was trying to avoid.  

Lena let out an exasperated sigh, running a frustrated hand through her hair,“I don’t understand, you were fine with this the other da-”

“That was before you told me my eyes glow red like a _fucking_ demon!” she snapped, crumpling her vest in her grasp and slamming her fists against the table causing everything to jump slightly and fall out of place.

Lena flinched, fighting the urge to step back out of pure instinct.

Amelie’s shoulder’s began to shake as she let her own head hang low.

“Love?”

The wooden floorboards barely squeaked underneath Lena’s small form as she stepped forward.

“I’m sorry” she mumbled quietly, standing directly behind Amelie with hesitant hands reaching out,”I shouldn’t have...I just…” she sighed, gently pressing her forehead against Amelie’s back.

“I know you’re afraid and I shouldn’t pressure you but...if my blood means we will survive the next couple of days...That you’ll survive a one on one fight with the actual devil then I’m willing to take that risk.”

“I hate this,” Amelie whimpered, her voice cracking slightly as she let out a shaky sigh,”I hate being afraid of myself like this.”

Lena placed a kiss against her back before stepped back,”Hey, look at me for a sec” she asked gently, reaching out to her waist to coax her around. Amelie made no effort into fighting it, she left her vest, crumpled and unfolded upon the table as she turned around to face the short girl.

“Listen that’s a good thing. The Witch is already afraid of you, imagine that look on her face when you get all snarly?” Lena smiled, snaking her arms around her waist she place her chin above her chest, looking straight up at the tall woman playfully.

But Amelie remained still, keeping her arms to her side offering barely any acknowledgment to the human against her, keeping her gaze towards the wall instead.

“Hey, come here.”

Lena slipped her arms from her waist and reached out, holding Amelie’s face in both hands, her thumbs brushing against her cheek. Smiling as Amelie’s eyes slowly shut and leaned into the touch.

“You are so much stronger than you know.”

Amelie finally cracked a smile, feeling a wave of deja vu as she recalled saying something similar to Lena once.

They weren’t so different in the end, they both had their own crippling doubts and fears though they took different shapes. Amelie wouldn’t hesitate to lift Lena the moment she stumbled, yet she couldn’t help but be surprised when Lena did the same.

She wanted to laugh, if only her brother - or any other vampire, really - could see her now.

Amelie imagined most vampires would be begging to bite their reluctant companion yet here Lena was. Ready to expose her throat for the greater good that would see to the end of the Witch, but also mostly for her own enjoyment apparently.

Lost in the gentle touch and her own thoughts, Amelie opened her eyes just in time to find Lena struggling to stand on the tip of her toes to brush her lips against hers.

She laughed at the small woman, wrapping her arms around her waist to pull her in close as she leaned in. Bringing Lena back to standing firm on the ground as she deepened a long awaited kiss in the privacy of their room.

By now Lena made it a point to learn how to kiss Amelie properly without harming herself, taking care to maneuver herself around the sharp canines. A work in progress as Amelie learned to be gentle with her biting though Lena tested her patience at times. Gently nibbling her bottom lip with blunt teeth to tease always watching with playful brown eyes.

Amelie’s fears and anxiety temporarily washed away by the sound of Lena’s soft sighs against her lips; Lena was right, there would be no better time.

She reached out behind her and swiped away her things from the table, all neatly placed and folded perfectly her tie and gloves littered the ground with her pouches and stakes shoved to the far corner of the table in a pile. She broke away just long enough to bend down and lift the small human who squeaked in surprise and delight, immediately wrapping her legs around her waist.

With a clear space on the table, Amelie turned around and placed Lena to sit upon it.

Before Lena could retaliate or catch her bearings Amelie held her by the back of the knees and tugged her closer to the edge of the table until her hips were flush against her own earning a short gasp.

Leaning in she captured her lips once more, returning the favor in gently dragging sharp canines against her bottom lip, distracting her just long enough to undo a few extra buttons from her shirt to expose her neck and collar bone.

A cool hand dragged upwards from Lena’s waist to her front, over her breast and around her throat, holding her by the neck. Normally she would feel a pulse, a heart beating out of control but there was nothing, only her soft whimpers and blunt nails grasping at Amelie’s shirt to continue.

Sliding her hand away from her throat she reached around and held the back of her head just enough to encourage a slight tilt that gave her just enough room to place a kiss against the side of her neck.

Despite feeling no pulse she could feel something.

A deep dark instinct kicked in upon being so close, she could practically hear the blood just underneath the skin pumping nervously throughout Lena’s body. Her fangs itched and body craved it yet she managed to pull away, taking an unneeded gulp of air she dropped her hands and stepped away to face her.

“Alright.”

Lena blinked away the haze, surprised by the past forty five seconds and topped off with a single word it took her a moment to catch up.

“A-alright?”

Amelie nodded, a sheepish smile gracing her features. Nervous hands still held Lena by the waist, fingers fumbling with the hem of her shirt.

“That is...if you’re still alright with it?”

Without warning Lena began to unbutton the rest of her blouse.

Amelie stared her for a moment, mildly impressed by the speed in which her fingers flew to each closure before finally asking,“What are you doing?”

Lena stopped as the shirt was peeled off one shoulder but not the other just yet,“This is a brand new shirt that I don’t want it to get dirty?”

“This isn’t going to be messy.”

“Are you going to say no to me being naked? I’m a little offended.”

“You’re too excited about this, you know it’s going to hurt right?”

Lena’s face split into a wicked grin,“Oh I’m counting on it.”

“I worry about you” Amelie sighed, shaking her head as she watched Lena toss her shirt across the room with a small giggle before throwing her arms around the tall woman’s shoulders.

Tugging her down to her level, Lena gently peppered the side of her throat with tiny kisses followed by playful bites earning a small pleased hum out of Amelie.

Feeling her unease melt away as she embraced Lena’s warm and bare body against her own the dark hunger kicked in once again making her fangs itched.

She would have no idea her eyes began to glaze over in a red haze as she leaned in and kissed along the side of Lena’s neck in search for the perfect spot.

Lena let out a shaky sigh, nervous but excited, tilting her head to the side as a surprisingly warm tongue licked a particular spot where her neck met her collarbone.

Yet somehow Amelie managed to pull herself together, even as both canines gently grazed across her skin and Lena held her breath, preparing for the pain Amelie shook her head out of the haze and stood back up. Her golden eyes showing anxiety and uncertainty.

“Should I count or...?”

Lena immediately grabbed her by the front of her shirt and yanked her back into her neck.

“Trust me and yourself.”

Amelie gulped but nodded, returning to gently kissing at her skin now lightly red and bruised.

“And don’t tell me when ju-OW OW OW Oh my GOD!”

Lena immediately slapped a hand over her own mouth to stop herself from crying out as Amelie clamped down. Elongated fangs pierced her skin like needles acting like anchors as blunt teeth cut down, blood dribbling from Amelie’s lips slid down Lena’s chest.

Tears pricked at the corner of Lena’s eyes, her hand clutching Amelie’s arm in a vice grip. Fear and immediate regret filled her very soul as she tried to pull Amelie away but was met by a strong arm around her waist, pinning her in place and a low snarl emitting from the vampire’s throat in warning.

Before a full panic set in, her viper like fangs slowly retracted, blunted teeth cutting into her skin was replaced by that warm tongue, gently lapping up her wounds.

Lena hissed at the contact at first, flinching away out of instinct but was held in place by a cool hand that shot up and grabbed a handful of hair by the back of her skull, forcing her head to the side demanding more room.

This time however Lena groaned, a surprising jolt of excitement running along her spine as it slipped out but slowly the pain became numbed as Amelie licked around her wound. She moaned softly in doing so setting Lena’s stomach ablaze.

Lena had only heard how terrible yet how strangely pleasurable being bitten could be, it’s why they were so dangerous in the first place.

It all made sense when Amelie clamped her lips around the two pierced holes and began to gently suck.

“Oh...oh fuck that’s...nice.”

Dangerous. Idiotic. Absolute suicide and yet she couldn’t bring herself to care, Lena dropped her hand away from her mouth to let out a long groan, clutching at Amelie’s shirt. Holding on as she felt her body slowly fall limp as blood left her body in a dizzy state.

Amelie on the other hand was gone from this world, she expected the worst and nearly watched herself tear Lena’s throat out and yet she held on. Like a child unable to bite down as their gums cried out for relief she no longer felt the insatiable need to sink her teeth into flesh. An overwhelming sense of pure alleviation overcame her as warm blood spilled into her mouth for the first time in years she felt satisfied and full.

“H-hey…” Lena called out weakly, pulling herself together to realize any longer of this would not be good for her she tried again, tugging on her arm for attention,”Leave some for me yeah?”

Amelie immediately stopped, lifting her mouth away from the wound with a gasp as if underwater for too long. However not one to waste, she quickly lapped up any trace of blood that tried to escape, dragging her tongue along the side of her breast.

Lena sighed in relief, forcing out a tired laugh as Amelie licked her way back up and mumbled a thousand apologies in between kisses around her new wound.

“You alright?” Leja asked, carefully reaching out for the waterskin pouch underneath the stakes and belts that were shoved to the side to give her a place to sit.

Amelie mumbled something incoherent, her lips brushing against her skin as she did so while Lena took a long drink as McCree had suggested.

Amelie paused for a moment, leaning her forehead against Lena’s shoulder, away from the sensitive skin taking deep breaths to recollect herself.

“Hey Ame? You alright love?” she asked again, popping the cork of the waterskin back on to put it aside she reached up and gently cupping her cheeks to coax her to face her but was rather taken aback to see those glowing red eyes staring back at her. The last few times she seen those eyes she was met with a terrible snarl and inhuman growls but now they seem to look at her with a softened gaze and her lips parted, stained red, blood still coating her teeth.

Yet what truly captured Lena’s attention were the strange scars along her face, she knew better than most the only two things upon Amelie’s beautiful skin was the small mole above her lip and four long scars across her face yet in a matter of moments six thin lines seemed to appear, two sets above her eyes and another set directly underneath.

Before she could question it, Amelie groaned, her forehead thumping against her shoulder once more.

Then she burped.

“Lena...how much...did you fucking drink?” she asked finally, her voice low and giving off a slight slur.

Lena froze in place, unable to believe what she had heard she leaned back, lifting the vampire’s tired head from her shoulders to look at her once again.

The slits were gone, even as she ran a thumb across her cheek there was nothing there but Amelie’s red haze slowly washing away like blood in water into those beautiful golden eyes that were now half lidded and distant as her cheeks were tainted red, even warm to the touch.

“Oh...blimey are you drunk?” Lena asked with a smile growing on her face.

Amelie blinked hard, pinching the bridge of her nose and trying to make sense of her strange dizziness,“I...no...maybe...yes?”

Lena’s eyes lit up with pure delight, any post exhausted blood donating completely washed away from the fact that the legendary Huntress who could feel nothing as she downed countless mugs of ale was finally feeling the effects.

“Oh bloody hell you’re pickled!” she laughed, grasping her face and placing large wet kisses all over her face in her excitement.

Amelie giggled, a true adorable laugh, smiling wide as she shied away from the onslaught of affection, making no real effort to push her away but did accidently grab two handfuls which seemed to divert her attention to Lena’s bare chest.

“Oh...cherie you’re nude.”

Lena stopped and followed her gaze, looking straight down in between them,“Yes I am.”

A beat of silence followed, like it took a moment longer to process Amelie shrugged and gave her a light squeeze playfully.

“Well alright then.”

Amelie’s hands wrapped around her waist, pulling her close as she leaned forward, pushing Lena back at an angle to kiss between her breasts and slowly work her way upwards as Lena squeaked happily.

But just before she got too close to claim her lips, Lena placed a single finger against her mouth to stop her.

“Easy love, you sit down. Water first then kisses, I draw the line at bloody snogging.”

Amelie pouted but agreed to these terms, taking the waterskin and standing back up, completely dropping Lena to land flat on her back against various weapons digging into her.

Lena groaned, carefully pulling herself up just in time to see Amelie flop into the lone chair beside the table, tossing the now empty waterskin and tossed aside she swished the liquid in her mouth to assure the blood was gone before swallowing.

She wiped her mouth with the back of her hand and flashed a smile, proving herself to have a clean mouth now clear for kissing.

“Thank you love.” Lena laughed, hopping off the table.

“My pleasure”  Amelie grinned, reaching out and hooking a finger into her waistband and pulling the girl into her lap.

Lena couldn’t help but laugh as Amelie held her by the bottom in a firm grasp and placed her face directly in between Lena’s breasts, humming in contentment.

“How you feeling? Besides a little tipsy?” she giggled, running her fingers through the long dark tresses.

“You feel nice” Amelie mumbled, cool hands slowly dragging up along her back, enjoying the warmth and small shaky sigh Lena let’s out,”I feel...full...but also a little...unsatisfied.”

Amelie flashed a toothy grin, reaching up and gently grasping Lena’s chin to coax her down, meeting her in the middle for a long kiss.

Lena smiled against the kiss, finding only the tiniest hint of bittersweet crimson on her lips but was cut short with a surprised gasp as those cool hands were well past her waistband.

“You really got excited about being bitten,” she laughed, cupping her heated center, thumb teasing and prodding.

Lena’s face flash red, clutching the back of the chair in surprise but gently rolled against her hand regardless,“H-hey I thought it was your turn.”

“We have time before sunrise, possibly our last. Let’s make it worth it hm?”

 

* * *

 

_Sometime after passing out with her arms securely around Lena’s small form, pulling her to her chest she felt the exhaustion take over. Lena proved to be incredibly talented and being under the influence of alcoholic blood didn’t help much. The moment they settled into bed she felt her eyes droop and that was it, she was fast asleep in record time._

 

_Yet her vision faded from her usual dreamless sleep to a view just outside of Adlersbrunn, where the guards yawned loudly but continued to watch and protect._

 

_It was clear as day, able to see the distinct features on the guard’s faces and the glint of moonlight on freshly polished armor. The few nightmares she did have were faded, difficult to describe, just silhouettes and shapes and yet it felt as though she was there, somewhere watching._

 

_The Guards suddenly stood alert and drew their weapons as a figured hobbled out of the darkness towards them._

 

_“H-...help...”_

 

_The familiar voice of an elderly woman called out in pain as she crumpled over onto the road. Amelie could only watch as the Guards ran forward, weapons still pointed towards the heap of dirty brown robes while one man carefully pulled her to her back and peeled the hood back._

 

_“T….take me to...the Hunters.”_

* * *

 

Lena awoke to the bed shaking followed by soft whimpering.

It took a moment to become fully conscious, blood loss and a small headache coming on made it difficult to open her eyes at first. She blindly grasped around, finding blankets where they were but no cool body against her back.

The whimpering became louder.

Lena’s eyes snapped open as panic shot through her like a jolt of lightning in realization, sitting up and turning around she found Amelie facing the wall, curled into a tight fetal position twitching violently and mumbling in her sleep as beads of sweat dripped from her brow.

She grasped at her shoulders and pulled her to lie on her back, gently slapping at her face to return to her,“H-hey Amelie, love wake up!”

Amelie gasped as her eyes opened to the waking world.

All eight of them.

Glowing red and staring right at Lena.

She yelped and scrambled backwards nearly falling off the bed as Amelie quickly sat up, panting and grasping at her face but only two eyes were to be accounted for and golden in color.

Lena couldn’t bring herself to blink as the two women stared at each other in confused horror.  

“What....the fuck.”

Amelie touched her face, her brows furrowed in confusion and frustration but nothing was there but sweat along her fingers.

“We...need to leave” she gasped, throwing the blankets off her body and climbed out of bed in a hurry.

Lena watched her, feeling the small hangover ready to make itself known as she struggled to process what she had seen.

“I’m sorry hold on, one thing at a time because you just-”

“I saw something.”

Amelie slowly bent down to pick up her clothes though her eyes were distant,”I saw...Ana...she’s coming here. She’s wounded...I…” she stopped, running a hand through her hair in frustration,”...Lena please you have to trust me, I need to know if this wasn’t a dream.”  

Lena stared at her for a long moment, there were no signs of those slits she had seen last night or the additional eyes for now.

If Ana was in trouble dream or not it was worth looking into, Lena nodded,“Ok, let’s go”

Amelie smiled, almost surprised at the lack of hesitation to follow her on just a hunch, swiped Lena’s pants from the ground and threw it over to her as the two got dressed in a hurry.

A few minutes passed and somewhere beyond the inn a door was slammed opened and muffled voices called for help. Lena was hopping on one foot putting her shoes on but froze in place as the two stopped to exchange nervous glances before speeding up the dressing process.

Soon their door was being pounded on by a very panicked tavern owner.

“Huntress! We need help someone is here with news of the Witch!”

The two froze in place, staring at the door in disbelief before turning back to each other now dressed and ready for whatever madness awaited them.

Amelie sighed and shook her head, forcing out a dark laugh as she loaded her gun and cocked it.

 

“Wake the boys up, we’re hunting early.”

 


	25. The Beginning of the End

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Some ghosts are real and sometimes they come back

“Wake Captain Morrison! The hunters have returned with an injured person!” 

Men stationed atop the castle walls called down to each other to relay the message as the group of monster hunters came running towards the doors with a body tightly tucked in McCree’s arms. 

Morrison threw his coat on in a flash, barely able to button himself in as he rushed out of his quarters into the main hall, just in time to see the large front doors open wide and a group of very panicked hunters rush inside. 

Lena was quick to spot him and run over, and her tear-streaked eyes and the terrified expression on her face brought his heart to a halt,“Captain! We need help, please! This is my friend-”

“...Ana?” he gasped, choking on his words as he looked straight past the hunter.

“Oh! You know her? That’s great listen we need...uh we need...hey are you listening?!” Lena called out, watching him as he walked straight past her as though in a trance.

McCree shifted uncomfortably as Morrison stepped towards him, face white as a sheet staring at the woman in his arms.

“Uh...Cap’n you lookin like you’d just seen a ghost,” McCree mumbled awkwardly. 

He might as well have. There was no doubt about it, the woman the city had mourned for years, spent countless hours spent searching for a body, something to bury, to find closure was now right in front of him.

He reached out for her bloodied hand in a shaky grasp, barely able to speak above a whisper,“My Lady Ana is it you? I thought...we thought you were-”

The old woman groaned in pain, shifting slightly in McCree’s arms but managed to open her eye and force out a smile,“Hello, Jack.”

Lena watched, confusion and wonder setting in as she realized every soldier and every servant in the castle were surrounding them. Many still in their nightwear, watching from doorways, over walkways above them all observing in seeming shock. 

The Captain laughed, though it came out as a half sob as tears spilled from his eyes,“Welcome home my Lady.”  

Lena watched wide-eyed as she witnessed every servant surrounding them slowly bow their heads in unison. She may not know much about nobility but seeing an entire castle of people do the very same mannerism as they do to their Lord was a strong indication she did not know as much as she thought about the old traveler. 

Sharing in the confusion, the hunters quietly exchanged glances but Hanzo was the one to cough into his fist,“Did...we miss something?” 

In a snap, Morrison stood up, wiping his tears with one hand while pointing to guards with the other. 

“Take her to the infirmary, I want everyone and anyone with the slightest knowledge in medicine to attend to her. We are not losing her again do you understand me?”    
  
McCree carefully passed off the woman to a guard, the two men sharing a moment of awkward reverence, so delicate with this person of such importance that it took a moment too long and Ana grumbled obscenities under her breath. 

Soon enough the man walked away with several others following suit in a hurry. Servants of Adlersbrunn scurried away in hushed whispers of excitement but mostly awed bafflement, their lady seemed to have returned from the dead but how? And more concerning, why now?

Morrison turned his attention to the hunters, straighten his shoulders with a deadly serious expression,“As for you all. What happened?”

Lena piped up first,“She came to us moments ago, coming from a village in the west. The Witch with an armored servant slaughtered everyone and took the bodies.”

The Captain’s eyes narrowed,“Why spare Ana? The only witness?”

“For us to know, she sent Ana to tell us.”

“Is this a threat?”

Amelie scoffed,“Oh no, she’s teasing us. She wants us to be ready, this is warning.”

McCree nodded grimly,“We have to begin the hunt  _ now _ , we may not have much time.”

“Very well then, I will accompany you to where the lab once was,” Morrison paused as the door he had just entered in from burst open from a disheveled squire stumbling out with a short man holding an axe over his head and completely ready for battle,”Oh good, right on time. Brigitte you’re in charge while I’m away.”

Brigitte looked around wildly for the threat before blinking back in surprise,”Y-yes sir!”

“Torbjorn stay with Reinhardt, he’s going to need it.”

“Aye, now off with you all and good hunting!”

Morrison marched off, leading the charge with the hunters close behind save for Lena who stepped forward but turned around. 

Brigitte remained as she was, even as her father and other servants went about their business. 

For a moment the two exchanged a familial look of unease until in unison they cracked a smile. 

“Good luck!” Lena called out.

The young squire flashed a grin and nodded before running off,“You too!” 

* * *

  
  


The city was, for lack of a better term, dead. Well past midnight, the inky blackness permeated the streets despite the full moon beyond the thick dark clouds looming overhead. Morrison continued on, walking through the empty streets with a small lantern guiding the way.

 

Tension sat heavy within the group as they walked in silence, eyes constantly darting around, looking for something, anything to be suspicious in the shadows or an out of place noise.

Lena swallowed uneasily, pulling the strap to her small crossbow tighter over her shoulder as she began to unconsciously move closer to Amelie. Walking behind the three men, she was feeling fairly confident to not be seen reaching for Amelie’s hand for comfort but as she reached out to grasp it, casually looking away to be unnoticed she grabbed air. 

Lena turned back to find Amelie’s hand grasping the bridge of her nose, her brows furrowed in pain as she clenched her teeth. 

She blinked back furiously, like fighting off a wave of nausea but in doing so Lena watched in fascination and horror as red eyes took place of her golden ones, and once again four sets opened.

“Hey...Ame are you alright? Your eyes are doing things again.” Lena whispered, tugging on her jacket for attention. 

Amelie shook her head, glancing down at her companion. 

For the first time and without fear Lena stared up at all eight eyes staring back at her, she couldn’t help but stand paralyzed at the strange spider like appearance of the Huntress.

Amelie said nothing at first, tilting her head in confusion as she stared at Lena.

Her eyes trailed downward, her vision shifting to see beyond clothes and skin she found a small flame. Blue in color and roughly the size of her fist but a gentle fire like a candle sat where Lena’s heart should be, it even flickered and pulsated in rhythm to a heartbeat.

“Ame?” Lena tried again. 

The Huntress turned away and looked forward, all eight eyes narrowed dangerously as another anomaly caught her newfound ability to see beyond what is there. Two translucent shadows wrapped around Hanzo’s body. She shut her eyes, squeezing them tight before opening to ensure her new vision was stable but as he walked quietly beside McCree, two long bodies, like the silhouette of dark snakes coiled around his chest and back. She watched as the shadows twisted and seemed to slither around his body until finally realizing the two heads of dragons moved over his shoulders and seemed to stare back. Two dragons that were identical to the ink etched into his skin.

“I’m going to be honest with you,” she started under a harsh whisper, turning to look down at Lena with concern in all eight eyes, Lena had half a mind to find it almost adorable,”I don’t know if I like this.”

“You alright Lacroix?” 

McCree glanced over his shoulder but found the two women no different than when he last saw them, vampire golden eyes that seemed to glow in the darkness that had never failed to give him the chills.

“Never been better.”

“This is it,” Morrison called out, raising the lantern up just enough to illuminate their surroundings.

Lena let out a soft gasp, her hand clutching her chest. She could hear it in her ears now, her own heart beat, they were so close. Yet as she walked forward ahead of the group to find her precious organ there was nothing. 

Nearly at the edge of the of walled city was a plot of land, grass and patches of dirt where the road ends and several trees standing tall and undisturbed as if they had been there for years. Which was odd considering there were a few buildings not far on either side, granted both buildings were completely abandoned beside this random spot of unaltered earth. 

“Lord Adlersbrunn built a workshop and home here for the city doctor ages ago. It could fit several dozen patients to stay overnight. Jaimeson built an underground lab of sorts a few years into his residency but now it’s gone, like it was never here in the first place. We’ve searched everywhere but there is nothing, not even a stone left behind.”

McCree pulled off his hat to scratch his head, using his eyes to motion towards the empty houses next door. 

“And these? Who lives in ‘em?”

“No one anymore, there were one too many complaints of terrible sounds and an awful stench that drove people away from here.”

Amelie tapped her chin in thought,”Camouflage?”

Hanzo stepped forward first, holding his hand out expecting to touch something but there was none. 

“No, nothing. An illusion?”

McCree shook his head, walking into the lot while peeling off his glove he crouched down to stroke a finger against the ground to examine the dirt,“Illusions mask sight but not sound or smell. Was it ever here to begin with? Mind manipulation?”

Amelie hummed to herself, joining in the investigation by knocking on the trunk of a tree,“If it was here before the witch was involved that’s most likely not the case. What about-”

“Have you looked underground?” 

Lena’s small voice brought the hunters to a halt as they found the small woman standing completely and utterly still in the middle of the empty land staring straight down at her feet. 

The four slowly exchanged looks of horror,“Teleportation?” McCree said with narrowed eyes, his voice just barely above a whisper.

“Two entire buildings? Underground? How powerful is this monster?” Hanzo looked to the rest for answers but was unfortunately met with grim expressions of silence. 

Morrison stroked his stubbled chin in thought,“There is a sewer system, it’s mostly for the bath house but Jamison insisted on using it for his medical practices. It flows out into the waterfall outside the city towards the castle.”

McCree slapped his knees as he stood up, stretching out his back along the way,“Then that’s where we go, Lena you’re confident?” 

“Extremely, if my heart is there then so will the doctor and-” 

“Lena, your arm is gone.”

Never one for subtlety Hanzo pointed to her left arm that was in fact completely missing.

Even Amelie blinked back in surprise by the lack of warning, no ominous fading or even Lena’s anxiety as a prologue, it just disappeared at the shoulder. 

Lena froze in place, following the group’s shocked gazes towards her left to confirm the numbness she was feeling. 

This time, however, she laughed. 

A pitiful laugh with a fake smile as she marched towards Captain Morrison with a wide grin and mild panic in her eyes. 

“Well if we wait any longer there won’t be much left of me and I’m personally not a fan of disappearing limbs. So let’s hop to it mates!” she joked, playfully smacking the man into turning around and pressing a hand to his back to encourage walking forward. 

McCree and Hanzo watched as Morrison stumbled on with Lena still pushing him onwards, eventually her arm returned, fading back in like fog, slowly but surely. 

“Is she going to be alright?” McCree asked under a harsh whisper. 

Amelie shook her head and began a quick stride to catch up,“She’s coping, but she’s right. We should hurry.”  

 

* * *

 

Lord Adlersbrunn was pacing. 

 

Every so often he would stop to press an ear to the door and squeeze his eyes tight to try and focus on the soft mumbling within but couldn’t not make out any words. He then would give up and begin to pace again only to rush back to the door upon thinking he heard something else. 

Torbjorn sighed, watching in silence as he did this several times,”My friend, you are going to drive yourself mad like this.”

“Are...are you sure it’s her? You didn’t see her yourself! How can you be sure?”

“Morrison said it himself, as well as every other servant in this place. I trust him and so should you. Besides, shouldn’t you be glad? I thought you’d be jumping for joy,” the old viking offered a smile but it quickly fell as his friend’s mood seemed unaffected by this news,”Reinhardt...Ana is alive.” he tried again, softer.

Lord Adlersbrunn let out a long sigh, resting his forehead against the door for a moment, refusing to meet Torbjorn’s concerned gaze. 

“I just don’t want to be disappointed if it’s not her and if it is I…” he groaned, running a hand through his hair in frustration,“It could be a trap or a trick or a lie or-” 

“Reinhardt.” 

“I searched everywhere for her.” 

A greedy war he raged for power and control cost countless lives, his only family was never to be seen again. Even after the battle was over and the enemy surrendered he stormed the city and raised hell assuming they had taken them. But there was nothing, an entire city pillaged, innocents slaughtered for no reason other than his fury and sorrow.

The door opened. 

Much to the surprise of Lord Adlersbrunn with his nose only a breath away and the poor servant on the other side who let out a startled yelp upon finding the Lord of the castle towering over him.

“Well?” he asked, trying, but failing, to not appear to anxious.

The servant regained his composure, readjusting his tool bag of medical supplies on his shoulder as he smiled warmly.

“It’s truly her my Lord, she judged our stitching and gave us instructions on how to create a salve for her own wounds.” 

Torbjorn snorted,”Undeniable proof, that’s definitely your girl.”

He stepped aside, pulling the door open wider for Lord Adlersbrunn to lean in and peak inside. 

Three other doctors were found on either side of the large bed, collecting bloody rags and wiping tools covered in crimson in a slow methodical pattern, satisfied with their work as the most beautiful woman he had ever seen lay there peacefully, a mountain of pillow propping her up slightly, long pristine white hair draped over her shoulder and bangs covering her right eye.

The man standing by the door coughed into his fist, earning the attention of the other doctors who snapped up, realizing the Lord of the castle was there, standing in the doorway frozen in place. 

They immediately scrambled to collect their things and quickly leave as Lord Adlersbrunn shuffled awkwardly inside, his eyes transfixed on the woman. He didn’t seem to notice or care as the doctors left and gently shut the door behind him.

The room fell quiet as he stood there, unable to breath as the woman slowly opened her eye. 

She smiled at him. 

Hot tears spilled from his eyes as he stumbled forward, kneeling at her side as he reached out and grasped her small hand into his. 

“Ana please tell me this isn’t a trick. Another of the witch’s magic to punish me for past sins,”he begged, clutching her hand as his voice cracked.

Ana shook her head weakly, grasping his hand as tight as she could,“No no habbiti it’s me I’m here” she called out, wishing to sound stronger but her voice quivered as her husband openly wept, kissing her knuckles repeatedly allowing tears to fall onto her hand.

Her chest tightened as her senses slowly returned to her, realizing the warmth and comfort she was feeling was being in their shared bed, back in their shared room and the familiar scents. She was finally home after years of chasing ghosts, her eye stung with tears threatening to spill over as she watched Reinhardt sob, brushing his face against her hand unable to believe she was real. 

“I’m so sorry I shouldn’t have left you.” she cried, wishing she were strong enough to hold him.

Reinhardt grasped the edge of the blankets and furiously wiped his face free of tears and snot, to which Ana groaned.

“On the blankets? Really?”

At this he finally cracked a smile, shaking his head in disbelief as he laughed,”It truly is you isn’t it? This isn’t a wild dream?” he asked, reaching out to brush aside her bangs from her eyes but paused, blinking back in surprise as her right eye was seal tight with crude stitching and a long vertical scar he did not recall the last time he saw her. 

“Ana what happened? I search entire kingdoms for you and Fareeha,” he mumbled, caressing her cheek and gently running a thumb over her scared eye. 

She sighed, leaning into his touched she reached up and grasped his hand.

“By the gods Reinhardt, I’m so sorry, there wasn’t a day gone by where I didn’t think of you but I couldn’t just...” she stopped herself, steeling herself to stay strong,“The Witch has our girl, I saw her take Fareeha’s body from the battlefield, I had to follow or I’d lose her forever.”

Reinhardt’s eyes widened, his hand dropping from her face in realization,“The ghost wandering the hills...”

“It’s only a shell, her body, parading around in her armor and slaughtering innocents like a puppet.”

The Lord of Adlersbrunn remained utterly still as another wave of realization struck him with such a force that he was rendered speechless. It was the first thing she had taught him about her culture, the importance of respecting the dead and the afterlife.

In a flash, an untamed fury overcame him. 

“Her body is being defiled.”

“Fareeha cannot rest and move onto the Field of Reeds if she is not buried properly.”

His brows creased forward in determination he grasped her hand in both of his in a firm hold,“I swear on my life we will get her back.”

It was like she never left, his fierce eyes and warmth gave her such a sense of relief she couldn’t help but smile.

“Oh habbiti, I missed you so much.”

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you Nox for editing!


End file.
